Anthony Crolla Offers Hope to Martin Murray After Contrasting Results for Duo
Anthony Crolla and Martin Murray shared a common goal on Saturday—both were desperate to be crowned world champions. Only one of the duo ended up achieving the feat, though.
The feelings of agony and ecstasy that sport can produce were seen in the space of a couple of hours, even though the two likable Englishmen were fighting in different European cities.
While Murray fell just short in his attempt to take the WBO super middleweight title from Arthur Abraham in Hannover, Germany, Crolla seized his opportunity on home soil in Manchester, England.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The lightweight’s fifth-round stoppage of WBA champion Darleys Perez was a moment that few could begrudge him. After a difficult year, both in and out of the ring, Crolla was crowned in his own backyard.
It had never been a foregone conclusion that the night would have a happy ending for either Brit.
Crolla had turned in an excellent performance in the first meeting against Perez, yet some dubious scoring from two of the three judges meant it finished up as a majority draw.
There was a fear that Million Dollar had missed his chance on that night—he had done everything possible to triumph, yet the result meant he walked away with only platitudes and praise.
Perez had been a disappointment back in July. He held onto the belt by the narrowest of margins, even though he had lost two points for low blows.
The decision from the ringside officials dismayed Eddie Hearn, Crolla’s promoter, to such an extent that he lodged an appeal with the WBA, which reviewed the footage and subsequently ordered a rematch.
But, returning to the scene of his great escape, Perez looked much better in the opening rounds of the second clash. His jab had some spite to it, and his accuracy was vastly improved.
There was nothing to split the pair after Round 4. Would Crolla become a cropper again on the cards?
He dismissed any such concerns with a left hook to the body that knocked the stuffing out of Perez. His opponent did not come remotely close to getting up in time to beat the count, though Crolla refused to celebrate until he was a certain winner.
Once referee Terry O’Connor waved off the contest, the new champion jumped in the air and screamed with delight. Trainer Joe Gallagher quickly arrived in the ring to embrace his fighter, while promoter Hearn wasn’t too far behind.
All three were emotional at the outcome, and it was easy to understand why.
Back at the start of 2015, Crolla wasn’t even certain he would box again. He had been badly injured while trying to prevent a burglary, suffering a fractured skull and broken ankle that put his career in doubt.
Thankfully, he made a full recovery and was cleared for a ring return.
Now Crolla, one of the nicest men around in British boxing, is on top of the world. The number of messages posted on Twitter praising him shows just how popular he is in the industry:
Crolla told Sky Sports: "I've dreamt this dream since I was 10 years of age. I didn't know it would be this good, honestly. It's even better than I dreamt.”
That dream had nearly been snatched away from him twice. However, Crolla showed tremendous resilience—and no little amount of class—to overcome adversity and eventually prevail.
Murray has displayed the same qualities in his career, yet he still waits for his coronation.
There were no tears of joy, not even any tears, when he heard the verdict in Germany. Murray had been committed and calculated, brave and bold, but it had not been enough in the final reckoning.
Murray’s fourth attempt to become a world champion ultimately ended the same way as the other three—in disappointment.
He could make a strong case to say the judges had got it wrong. There was little between the pair, as shown by CompuBox's final punch stats:
Abraham was, well, trademark Abraham: He was slow out of the blocks, bothered by body shots and only wanted to work hard for short, sharp periods in each round. His career will not live long in the memory once he hangs up his gloves, but he keeps finding a way to stick around at the highest level.
Murray knew what to expect from his foe, and he also knew that getting a decision on German soil would be tough, even if his pleas for neutral officials saw three American judges appointed.
Still, there was some bitterness at the scores. There were cards of 115-112 in each fighter's favour, with the deciding vote going to Abraham by a margin of 116-111.
Murray said in the post-fight press conference, per Jeff Powell in the Mail: "If tonight’s fight had been anywhere except Germany I would have got the decision. But I know that’s the way it is because I’ve been over here before."
Back in 2011, in his first crack at a world title, Murray had missed out on claiming the WBA middleweight strap when his bout with champion Felix Sturm in Mannheim, Germany, was inexplicably scored a draw.
However, history didn't quite repeat itself. This was not a robbery, with Abraham cast in the role of Dick Turpin, as Powell pointed out in the Mail, "No doubt to Murray’s chagrin the majority of observers at ringside agreed with the result, Sky television analyst Jim Watt among them."
The fighter from St. Helens also talked of a rematch with Abraham, but his chance to dethrone King Arthur is likely to have come and gone.
Perhaps, somewhere on his heavily tattooed body, Murray has inked William Edward Hickson’s famous proverb: “Tis a lesson you should heed: Try, try, try again. If at first you don’t succeed: Try, try, try again."
There is no indication to suggest he won’t get another crack at glory.
But, if he never quite reaches the pinnacle of the sport before hanging up the gloves, Murray will look back and think what could, perhaps should, have been against Abraham.
He started impressively and even wobbled his rival in Round 8. But the advantage built up on the scorecards slowly ebbed away in the closing stages, when Murray was also docked a point for holding.
The split-decision defeat means the move up to super middleweight hasn’t paid off just yet, but he doesn't have to give up the ghost.
It may not be comforting to hear right now, but Murray can take heart from Crolla’s heroics. You see, it turns out good guys don’t always finish last.
If Murray does eventually become a world champion in the future, the moment of success will be even sweeter consider all the hardship he's been through to get there. Crolla will definitely testify to that.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
