WILL Crolla went the distance on his professional debut in 2023. But in his next six fights, Crolla didn’t need the scorecards to have his hand raised in victory.
Those six fights brought six consecutive stoppages; only one of those opponents made it out of the first round. Crolla extended his unblemished start to his professional career in March. Still, he had to travel the full six rounds for the first time since his maiden ring walk to outpoint the durable Emmanuel Zion in Altrincham.
The scoring referee, Darren Sarginson, gave it to Crolla by a solitary point; this observer had it to Crolla by two points. “I was a bit confused. I thought, surely not,” Crolla told Boxing News of his thoughts when the scores were a little too close for comfort.
But it was a fight that Crolla had to work for. Six valuable learning rounds that will serve the 26-year-old extremely well going forward.
“I thought it was a good fight,” Crolla told me over Zoom. “I think he will upset a few prospects, especially if they give him the same notice that I gave him. He had two months’ notice to fight me, not just a week’s notice. He had a full training camp. He was a very tough man, and he had a very good chin. I hit him with some really good shots, I hurt him, but he took them and stayed in there and threw back. I learned loads from the fight. It was my first time going six rounds, and now on to eight rounds.
“I took some good shots, and I showed that I have got grit in me. There were some tough times in there when he was throwing back. I stuck in there, and I showed I have got a good engine as well. I thought I won the later rounds as well.
“I don’t think I will get the credit for it, but I think it was a good win. I learned loads, even just staying in the pocket, I feel so much more confident now, and I think that is what you will see on Saturday night as well.”
The win carried even more weight when Crolla revealed he was suffering from a bug in the lead-up to the fight. “I wasn’t well, not in fight week, but the week before that. I was on the toilet all week. But I would never have pulled out of the fight.”
Crolla returns over eight rounds this Saturday night in Manchester on the undercard of the intriguing welterweight main event between Jack Catterall and Harlem Eubank. Fraser Wilkinson will be opponent number nine for the unbeaten super-welterweight prospect. Crolla believes, despite another upgrade in opposition, that he will deliver a real statement at the AO Arena.
“On paper, it is definitely another step up for me,” Crolla says. “He is a two-time Scottish champion. He is tall and a southpaw. He’s got a good record; he has got more wins than I have had fights. He’s a decent lad. I just think I am better. These are the fights I want, and they are the fights that you will see the best of me.
“I think our styles will gel very well. But I think I am all wrong for him. I am looking to put on another dominant performance. It will get my name back into people’s mouths again. I believe on Saturday night, you will see my best work.”
Will Crolla is only eight fights into his professional life. After an extended period of time away from the sport before he found boxing again after a brief period in the wilderness, Crolla seems intent on making up for lost time.
There are dreams of British titles and headlining his own shows. Crolla is beyond confident that major titles are in his future and within the next 12 months. “I believe I can really do something in this sport, and next year, I will be fighting for domestic titles.”
