Darleys Perez vs. Anthony Crolla: Winner, Scorecard and Reaction

Just seven months after surviving a brutal attack from burglars, Anthony Crolla (29-4-3) looked to do enough to win a decision over WBA lightweight champion Darleys Perez (32-1-1), but the judges didn't see it that way. Despite the champion losing two points late in the fight because of low blows, Crolla still had to settle for a draw.

Per the Sky Sports broadcast, here are the scores: 114-113 (Perez), 116-111 (Crolla) and 113-113.

Crolla's constant movement and counterpunching gave Perez fits, though the champion seemed to be the heavier puncher throughout the fight. The most definitive moment of the bout took place in the second round when Crolla hurt Perez with a big right hand.

The champion went into the ropes but wasn't dazed enough to go down. 

For the next three or four rounds, Crolla was the aggressor and seemed to do the better work. Still, it was all in vain. If Crolla is to have a crowning moment, it will have to wait. Many of the rounds were close and difficult to judge, but the consensus throughout the boxing community was that Crolla deserved to be ahead.

His issue is a lack of punching power. Because he's unable to sting opponents on a regular basis or secure stoppage wins, he fights in a lot of rounds that are difficult to score.

Those rounds are always the genesis of controversial decisions.

When the fight was over, Dan Clifford of Cheltenham Town, welterweight contender Amir Khan and The Sport Bible were just three of the folks who flooded Twitter with outrage about the decision:

A rematch seems to be in order, and Crolla indicated he wanted one in his post-fight interview. In his usual amiable manner, he was complimentary of Perez but did admit he believed he'd won the fight, per the Sky Sports broadcast.

After having endured so much in the past year, it would probably be smart for Crolla to take some time away from the ring. He was training for a title shot against Richar Abril when he was assaulted. He immediately began rehab to get ready for a return to the ring.

That's a lot of stress in a seven- or eight-month stretch. At 28 years old, Crolla has some time to make a mark in the sport. 

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