Anthony Crolla Shines Again and Other Lessons Learned from Manchester Card
Anthony Crolla retained his WBA lightweight title in style on Saturday, stopping the dangerous Ismael Barroso in Round 7 in Manchester, England.
Just as he did against former champion Darleys Perez last year, Crolla clinched victory at the Manchester Arena with a body shot.
Despite being the dominant force in the early stages of the contest, Barroso punched himself out. Exhausted, he was dropped by a right hook and never came close to beating the count.
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Here, Bleacher Report picks out the major talking points from the main event, as well as some of the action on the undercard.
Perfect Planning
On The A-Team, after somehow escaping from a group of heavily armed bad guys with only the help of a welding torch, a scaffolding pole and a ball of string, Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith used to echo the catchphrase: "I love it when a plan comes together."
In Crolla's corner, trainer Joe Gallagher turned into boxing's version of Hannibal.
Barroso had a knockout ratio of 86 per cent going into the contest. He had flattened Englishman Kevin Mitchell at the end of 2015, a result that emphatically moved him to the front of the queue for a crack at Crolla.
It would have been easy for the champion to stay out of the way of such a dangerous foe.
Instead, he was instructed by Gallagher to stand in the centre of the ring and see what his opponent really had to offer. It was a brave move but also a brilliant one.
Crolla fronted up. He gave away the early rounds, knowing it was a marathon rather than a sprint. Barroso blew hot and then blew a gasket. It was clear by Round 6 that the Venezuelan wasn't going to last.
Before the fight, Gallagher told Sky Sports: "We are very respectful of Barroso, of his power, but there is one thing for sure he will get hit in this fight. He didn't against Kevin Mitchell, but he will in this fight and questions will be answered about Barroso on the night that Anthony has already answered during his career."
The question has been answered now—Barroso may hit hard, but at the highest level you cannot simply hope to blast away a fighter in a hurry.
Crolla came through the plethora of punches to prevail. His victory was a triumph of mind as much as body.
Best in the World?
Promoter Eddie Hearn—never one to hold back when talking about his own boxers—tweeted after the fight:
There is no doubting that Crolla, a late bloomer who at one stage in his career seemed destined to be stuck at domestic level, is now one of the best around at 135 pounds. But top of the pile?
The Ring rated Jorge Linares, Dejan Zlaticanin and Terry Flanagan (more on him to come) above Million Dollar before Saturday.
Crolla should boost his standing by beating Barroso, yet you could make a case for the mandatory challenger being overhyped in the buildup.
Sure, he beat Mitchell at the O2 Arena in London last December, but that wasn't anywhere close to the same Mitchell who had come so close to dethroning the WBC champion Linares earlier in the same year.
Barroso had been a pro for more than 10 years, yet he had to wait until the age of 33 for his chance at a major belt. He had fought 64 rounds in his entire career prior to his world-title tilt and never gone beyond Round 8.
Other champions may have avoided such a high-risk, low-reward fighter (it's not as if Barroso was a money-spinning option for anyone), so Crolla deserves credit for not sidestepping the southpaw.
However, the best way to prove you're the best in the division is to start unifying the belts. There is one in particular that he could target...
Manchester Showdown
Crolla doesn't even have to go beyond his own doorstep to find another world champion.
Flanagan—holder of the WBO strap—is not only a fellow Mancunian but also a former school mate of Crolla's, as he revealed to Nick Parkinson of ESPN.co.uk: "Anthony and I are friends, we're from the same area, went to the same school and are world champions in the same weight division. It's unheard of.
"I knew him at school, he was a few years ahead of me, and he's a nice kid. But we will put our friendship aside for the fight, boxing is a business after all, and after the fight we can be mates again."
Flanagan is an unbeaten southpaw who was last seen out-pointing Derry Mathews, someone Crolla failed to beat in two attempts.
Judging from social media on Saturday night, there is an audience out there who would like to see a fight to decide exactly who is the best lightweight world champion in Britain right now.
Journalists John Rawling and Micheal McKenna, as well as British Boxing Blog, all stated their desire to see Crolla vs. Flanagan happen:
However, don't get your hopes up just yet.
Crolla is promoted by Hearn, who has a television deal with broadcasters Sky Sports. Flanagan, meanwhile, is with Frank Warren, who has his BoxNation channel.
Who shows it, and for how much, will be a major stumbling block in negotiations, if any even taken place.
It would be a shame if the pair didn't meet at some stage down the line, yet it seems their paths are headed in different directions in the immediate future.
Back in Action
Martin Murray was never expected to have any trouble dealing with Cedric Spera on the Manchester card.
The Belgian was no more than a sacrificial lamb offered up to Murray, who needed to blow away a few cobwebs before his clash with George Groves on June 25 in London.
Sure enough, in his first action since losing to Arthur Abraham in November 2015, the four-time world-title challenger duly dispatched Spera in Round 2.
Groves will obviously be a much tougher test. The all-English clash, staged on the same bill as heavyweight Anthony Joshua's IBF title defence against Dominic Breazeale, has the potential to be a Fight of the Year contender.
Murray told Sky Sports in his post-fight interview (h/t Tim Hobbs of SkySports.com): "I've got that big fight in England that I've always wanted. Groves is world class, but I needed that [fight against Spera] and it'll stand me in good stead for the Groves fight."
Paul Smith also made his comeback on the card. The Liverpudlian—returning to the ring nearly a whole year after his loss to Andre Ward—recorded a TKO victory over Bronislav Kubin in Round 3.
It was pleasing to see Tommy Coyle in action again, too.
In his first outing since losing to fellow Hull fighter Luke Campbell in August 2015, Boom Boom benefited from six rounds of action against the Barcelona-based Nicaraguan Reynaldo Mora.
Coyle's points triumph wasn't crucial to his career hopes. However, it was a much-needed workout after a lengthy absence following major elbow surgery at the end of last year.
While Murray has his big fight to focus on, Smith and Coyle—who could fight at lightweight or super lightweight in the future—can only wait and hope such an opportunity comes their way.
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