BEN Crocker is ready for a step up when he travels to Sheffield’s Park Community Arena to face Sean McComb on September 27. The 10-round IBF European super-lightweight contest will be shown live on DAZN, with the man from Swansea stating that it’ll be an “educated chess match.”
Crocker, 14-0-1 (2 KOs), whose professional career began back in 2021, was a regular face on the small hall scene in Wales. In 2022, he endured five contests, while in 2023, he was involved in another four.
Then, during 2024, he had one last routine 60-54 victory, ahead of embarking on his first real challenge as a professional. From then on, there was no looking back.
After edging out Greece’s Stelios Papadopoulos with a 76-75 points decision victory, the pair rematched later that year, where the 30-year-old claimed a unanimous decision win and impressively secured the IBF European title at the Brentwood Centre in Essex.
In his most recent outing, his second at York Hall in Bethnal Green, it was a tightly contested, fiercely fought encounter where neither Crocker nor Tiernan Bradley gave an inch.
No man had a clear advantage in what was an exhausting 10 rounds for both, which resulted in one judge scoring the bout 95-95. The other two went 97-93 either way, which meant the near-equal bout ended in a split decision draw.
“I believe I’m at the level I’m at now, where every fight onwards, if I keep winning, is just another step up”, said Crocker.
“There’s no going backwards at this level. I’m expecting him (Sean) to try and outbox me, stay on the back foot, hit and move.
“I’m well prepared for the awkward slick style, my style isn’t a walk you down kind of style anyway, so I think it’s going to be a bit of a chess match, a real educated fight.”
Under the guidance of world title challenger Gary Lockett, where the Welshman trains out of Llanrumney Phoenix ABC, not far off a 120-mile round trip for the man from Swansea.
It’s worth the travel, as along with Crocker, the gym itself features several promising prospects, whilst also being the training HQ of both Joe Cordina and Gavin Gwynne.
“Training is going well, probably the hardest I’ve trained”, said Crocker, who at the time of speaking is just over three weeks out from the fight in Yorkshire.
“I feel like I’m doing more workouts than in any other previous fights.”
“It’s my third main event and second time headlining a DAZN show. So I’m on a pretty good run.
“I’d say I’m fitter and hungrier since the Stelios fights, I just want to reach the top.”
In his second defence of his IBF European title, he takes on southpaw McComb, 19-2-0 (5 KOs), who, in April 2024, challenged for Arnold Barboza Jr’s WBO Intercontinental super-lightweight belt in Brooklyn, New York.
The 33-year-old lost that evening by split decision, with a Canadian judge scoring the fight 98-92 in his favour, whilst the other two judges scored the contest in favour of Barboza Jr.
However, since then, McComb had a spell of 14 months of inactivity before making his return in June in Hull, where he put aside Argentina’s Alexis Nahuel Torres. “To be honest, I haven’t watched his fight with Barboza Jr, but I will get around to watching it before the fight,” continued Crocker.
“Sean’s a big name. He’s been up at that world level stage, and beating him will just bump my stocks right up. It’s a fight I need to win to really explode me to the top.
“Winning September 27th means everything; it’s a huge fight.”
