By William Wade: On the evening of 18th July this year, Anthony Crolla was set to make the greatest comeback in boxing since Rocky Balboa in Rocky 3. Crolla had suffered a career-threatening attack in which he sustained a fractured skull and a broken ankle just seven months earlier. Crolla had tried to apprehend a burglar who was breaking into his neighbour’s house, when the burglar afflicted the damage with a concrete slab. Miraculously, Crolla was handed the world title fight offer in the wake of an incredibly speedy recovery. Some thought it was too much too soon. Anthony Crolla thought otherwise.
On a Hollywood-ending type of night, 20,000 fans filled the Manchester Arena in Crolla’s hometown to witness what would ultimately be an unforgettable event. Darelys Perez, a tough Colombian with a record of 30-1 (20 KOs), wasn’t coming to roll over just because Crolla had had a bit of bad fortune. He came to win, and his record proved he was able to do just that. Crolla’s record of 28-4-2 going into the fight did not reveal the fact that he was on a winning streak, and improving with every fight. The world, in 2015, would soon realise that this Manchester fighter had a serious amount of grit in his heart, even in the face of bitter disappointment, which this first fight with Perez would deliver.
In the opening two rounds, it seemed that the Colombian was as good as his record dictated, and that Anthony was in for a tough night. However, just at the close of round two, Crolla delivered a perfectly-timed right hand to not only wobble Perez, but to bring Crolla right into the fight. As the bout developed, most ringside observers witnessed a back-and-forward tussle between two hungry, tough and talented fighters, and were judging the contest as fairly even, or perhaps slightly in favour of Crolla. However, in rounds ten and eleven, Perez was deducted a point in each round for constant hitting below the belt, and thereby giving a close-scoring fight surely into Crolla’s hands. By the final round, it seemed clear that Crolla had done enough to win, especially with the two point deductions from Perez. Darelys tried to rally in the 12th, but Crolla was there with him every step of the way. The bell sounded, 20,000 fans went wild at the prospect of their brave son returning from horrific injuries sustained in a heroic act, and all that was needed was MC Michael Buffer to utter those immortal words, “And the new…” and raise Anthony Crolla’s hand to world title glory. Somebody didn’t read the script.
Buffer read the scores: 116-111 for Crolla; 114-113 for Perez (ah well, even a split decision for Crolla will do, although that would still be a travesty); 113-113… a DRAW! Perez left as champion, fight fans around the world were astounded and once again everyone wondered if justice really did exist in the world of boxing. It was, on its own merit, a shockingly bad decision. However, in light of the background story, it stung even more. Would Anthony Crolla be another of the ‘nearly-men’?
Thankfully not, for as we all know, on the 21st of November, just four months after the devastating draw, Crolla produced a crushing body shot to relieve Perez of his world title, to the exhilaration of Manchester and the wider boxing fraternity. Perhaps the bad decision made Crolla more determined, we don’t know, but one thing we do know, is that twice he bested Darelys Perez for the world title, but only once was he awarded the belt.
