Anthony Crolla Continues His Boxing Fairytale with Fight Against Jorge Linares

No one can ever accuse Anthony Crolla of taking the easy option.

After needing two attempts to dethrone WBA champion Darleys Perez (their first meeting ended in a controversial draw), the lightweight took on the dangerous Ismael Barroso in his first defence.

In choosing to stand in the eye of a storm by meeting Barroso in the centre of the ring, Crolla not only showed tremendous heart but also a clever boxing brain.

He took everything the challenger could throw at him, allowing his rival to punch himself out in the hope of forcing a stoppage.

Then, with Barroso blowing up, he landed a body shot in Round 7 that emphatically ended the bout. Job done.

If Crolla had selected a soft option for his second defence, few would have criticised him.

However, considering the man once risked not only his career but also his life to try and prevent a burglary, he's clearly not one to back down from a challenge.

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

On Tuesday, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed Crolla will go up against Jorge Linares in Manchester, England, on September 24. The official press release described it as a "huge unification blockbuster," even though Linares doesn't actually have hold of the WBC belt right now.

The deal sees Crolla jump out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.

Barroso—a heavy-handed southpaw—provided a serious threat. The Venezuelan had enhanced his reputation by stopping Kevin Mitchell in December 2015, a result that sent his opponent into retirement.

But there were holes in Barroso's record. He had fought sporadically at times since turning pro, while there were question marks over the standard of some of the opponents he had faced.

He was either boxing's best-kept secret at lightweight or, more likely, had simply been in the right place at the right time to defeat a faded force in Mitchell.

With Linares, there are no such doubts. He is a proven performer at the highest level and is the WBC's champion in recess.

Just like his fellow Venezuelan, Linares is best known to British fans for beating Mitchell. Their styles meshed perfectly in May 2015 as they produced a classic in London: 

Mitchell looked on course to become a world champion when he scored a knockdown in Round 5. However, Linares found a way to get up before going on to retain his WBC title, stopping his rival in Round 10.

It was a brutal battle. Mitchell was left with a welt so large over his left eye that it would have needed its own seat on an aeroplane.

By coming out on top that night, Linares proved his toughness.

But, as Crolla told Sky Sports, the man nicknamed El Nino de Oro is far more than just a brave warrior:

"

Linares is a fantastic fighter. Technically, he's brilliant and I'm a fan of his. Like all fighters, though, he's got vulnerabilities and I plan to take advantage of those.

I know how good Linares is technically—he's got great feet. I've watched and admired him for many years but I won't be overawed when I get in there. Respect will go out the window from that first bell.

I know what a tough fight it will be but I'll make sure I'm in the best possible place to prove myself as the best lightweight in the world on the night.

"

Linares had to relinquish his grip on the WBC belt due to a broken hand. He hopes to make sure it is no more than a temporary parting of the ways.

Dejan Zlaticanin had been due to face Linares before the latter hurt himself in training. Instead he fought Franklin Mamani, stopping his opponent in Round 3 to pick up the vacant title last weekend.

The Montenegrin now lies in wait for the winner of the fight in Manchester, meaning Crolla could end up facing four highly ranked lightweights (Perez-Barroso-Linares-Zlaticanin) in the space of just over a year.

Out of respect for Linares losing his strap outside of the ring, the WBC have put a diamond title up for grabs in September.

The Ring magazine have also confirmed their vacant lightweight crown will be on offer. The publication outlined their reasons behind the decision in a story by Michael Rosenthal:

"

One, we feel Linares-Crolla is without question a championship-caliber matchup between two hot fighters.

Two, we feel there is a thin line between Zlaticanin (22-0, 15 knockouts) and Crolla (31-4-3, 13 KOs), who holds the WBA title. Zlaticanin has had some important wins—most notably over Ricky Burns and Ivan Redkach—but Crolla also is on a strong run, having stopped Darleys Perez and Ismael Barosso in succession.

And, three, we feel it is likely Zlaticanin will fight the winner of Linares-Crolla for the RING championship in what we hope will amount to a something akin to a three-man, round-robin tournament.

"

For Crolla, this is all fairytale stuff.

The 29-year-old told James Robson of the Manchester Evening News: "I’m having to pinch myself after everything that’s happened. I’m fighting the number one fighter in the division for the WBC, WBA and Ring titles. It doesn’t get any better than this."

At one stage, his career seemed to be going no further than domestic level.

In 2012, he lost his British title to Derry Mathews. Later that same year he was part of a Prizefighter tournament, an eight-man event with a winner-takes-all kitty of £32,000. He didn't win.

In 2014, his career looked like it could be over due to injury. Struck by a concrete slab when trying to tackle two burglars, he suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle. His trainer, Joe Gallagher, admitted he "could have been killed," per Gareth A Davies of the Telegraph.

Yet Crolla has fought back from adversity to fulfil a dream and become a world champion. He has cleared every hurdle put in front of him, mentally and physically.

He certainly has the respect of his peers. In fact, he's so popular he should change his nickname from Million Dollar to the Nicest Man in Boxing.

"

All about the man @ant_crolla tonight! Everyone get behind the nicest man in boxing! Good luck champ. #AndStill

— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) May 7, 2016"

Like his rival, Linares has had setbacks in his career.

Juan Carlos Salgado ended his reign as WBA super featherweight champion inside a round in 2009. There were then back-to-back defeats at lightweight against Antonio DeMarco and Sergio Thompson, too.

He was in danger of losing his way, as Kelsey McCarson pointed out last year for Bleacher Report.

Yet Linares has recovered impressively to reach the top again, becoming a three-weight world champion by knocking out Javier Prieto in 2014.

He can no doubt sympathise with what Crolla has been through in the ring, though there will be no sympathy shown when the bell rings on September 24.

Instead, two well-respected, and extremely respectful, fighters will give it their all to prove themselves as the best around at 135 pounds.

Crolla's rise to the top could have been scripted for a movie, although that doesn't mean he's certain to get a happy ending.

But, whatever the outcome, he will likely crack a smile in the aftermath. He cannot help it—it's in his nature.

Then again, you wouldn't expect anything else from the Nicest Man in Boxing, would you?