Anthony Crolla Can Smile in Defeat but Jorge Linares Rematch Is the Wrong Option

Anthony Crolla has recently made a habit of forgetting things.

At an August press conference to promote his fight with Jorge Linares, the then-WBA lightweight champion arrived in smart attire but minus a rather important belt.

On Saturday, as the local boy arrived at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, he was so focused on the task in hand he'd overlooked packing both his gum shield and shorts in his kit bag.

It’s a good job it wasn’t like P.E. lessons at secondary school, or else poor Crolla would have stepped out for the biggest night of his career in nothing but his pants and a protective cup.

At least the boxer nicknamed Million Dollar didn’t forget how to fight.

The talk before the first bell had been about how a clash between two of the best best lightweights in the world had all the ingredients to be a modern-day classic.

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In one corner stood the skilful Linares, a three-weight world champion with an impressive CV and a point to prove after relinquishing his grip on the WBC title because of injury.

In the opposite corner stood Crolla, a smiling assassin dubbed the nicest man in British boxing—as Tony Bellew confirmed in a column for Metro—who never shirks away from a challenge, in or out of the ring.

Sometimes, the pre-fight hype can go too far, resulting in the main event falling short of the lofty expectations bestowed upon it.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case with Crolla vs. Linares. We shouldn’t be surprised—they are two men who let their talents do the talking, and they served up a genuine fight-of-the-year contender.

It turned out rumours of Linares’ demise had been greatly exaggerated.

Fit again after recovering from the fractured hand that forced him to surrender his old belt, the Venezuelan proved there’s still plenty left in his tank. There was no ring rust after nearly a year out of action and no stamina issues in his 44th pro bout.

He was sharp from the outset, unleashing shots that were so fast you briefly doubted whether they’d actually been thrown. Did he just flick out a jab, or was it a figment of the imagination?

His punches came in bunches too, both to head and body. At the end of one barrage in the closing seconds of Round 6, Crolla wobbled back to his corner like a late-night reveller down Manchester's Oxford Road following one too many drinks.

Having survived to hear the bell, he sucked it up during the break and then got back to the plan—move forward, outwork his opponent with the aim of eventually weakening the defences to reveal a soft spot.

It had worked to perfection against Darleys Perez—the champion he dethroned to get hold of the WBA belt—in their rematch. It had worked against Ismael Barroso in his maiden defence too, even if Crolla had to go through some choppy waters in the early rounds to stay afloat.

With Linares, however, he just couldn’t create that crack. There were moments, albeit fleeting, when it looked like Golden Boy was feeling the pressure while being taken the distance for the first time.

However, by the final two rounds, it became clear the challenger had ridden out the storm. He would strike before taking a walk, allowing him to grab a breather and also show off to the watching judges.

While he valiantly fought his fight to the bitter end, Crolla just couldn’t avoid getting tagged on the way in. The scorecards read 115-114, 115-113 and 117-111.

The six-point margin from one official created plenty of debate on social media. What wasn't questioned, though, was the identity of the winner.

Just like against Kevin Mitchell last year in London, Linares had defeated an Englishman in his own backyard. He had done so with class and style, making it hard for the home crowd to hate him—although some needlessly felt the need to boo the new champion's post-fight interview with broadcasters Sky Sports.

There was talk of a rematch between Mitchell and Linares in the aftermath of their classic contest at the O2 Arena.

While that never materialised, Crolla may get an immediate shot at redemption. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, told Ben Dirs of BBC Sport:

"

There's a rematch clause. It's the biggest fight for Linares. I don't envisage any problems.

Because Anthony put up such a good fight the 12-13,000 that were in the Manchester Arena for the first fight will increase next time.

And because the money will be big and Linares will think he can win again, they'll be thinking 'bring it on'.

"

Crolla-Linares II would undoubtedly be another watchable fight, and all parties concerned would stand to make plenty of money by doing it all over again in front of another bumper crowd in Manchester.

But is it really the best idea for both men to go over old ground?

As well as having the WBA belt and The Ring magazine title, Linares is the WBC’s diamond champion. It’s a fancy way of saying he should still be the governing body's full champion, but somebody else has got the strap instead.

That someone is Dejan Zlaticanin, the mandatory challenger Linares wasn't fit to face earlier in the year. The unbeaten Montenegrin duly knocked out Franklin Mamani in June to claim the vacant title.

If Linares wants to reclaim what was once his, he’ll have to go through a seriously dangerous southpaw. A unification bout is a mouthwatering prospect to consider for the future.

Still, Crolla and Hearn have it in writing—or at least somewhere in the small print—that a rematch has to happen next.

Before taking up the option, they need to work out what Crolla can do differently to change the outcome second time around.

Therein lies a problem. The 29-year-old is a well-drilled fighter who is always in outstanding shape, both physically and mentally.

What he doesn’t have, though, is Linares’ hand speed and silky technique. He isn’t a heavy hitter, either. He’ll overpower you with his persistence, but he won’t power his way through you. Just 13 of his 31 pro victories have come inside the distance, giving him a career KO rate of 42 per cent.

Despite the unanimous points defeat, Crolla's stock is still high. Therefore, the next career move is crucial.

Perhaps instead of targeting Linares again, he could look a little closer to home for a new opponent.

WBO champion Terry Flanagan was in the crowd at the Manchester Arena. He knows Crolla well—the pair went to the same school—and there have been talks in the past, albeit without a great deal of success, about holding a reunion in a ring somewhere in a city they both call home.

Promoter Frank Warren, who looks after Flanagan, made a £500,000 offer to Crolla and his team at the start of the year, per James Robson of the Manchester Evening News. It was rejected, as the WBA champion faced mandatory challenger Barroso instead.

Warren then released a statement in May to explain how the complexities of the pair's contractual obligations to different television networks—Warren has his own BoxNation channel, while Hearn has a deal with Sky Sports—could be solved for one night only.

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Hearn, however, felt the numbers suggested by his rival didn't quite add up.

He told George Gigney of Boxing News: "If you look at what the champions are earning, Flanagan’s on a quarter of that—and they know that. But it’s difficult because Flanagan’s not creating the revenue."

Turbo Terry doesn't have the fanbase to match Crolla's. Yet a bout between the pair would be a one-off occasion, as they would split the loyalties of many in an area of England that has always come out to support its own.

To add a little extra spice, Flanagan is a Manchester City supporter. Crolla, meanwhile, is a diehard Manchester United fan.  

Could one of their grounds stage a boxing derby dustup with ramifications ranging far beyond local bragging rights?

The non-stop football season makes that prospect tough, but we can dream. Just imagine the possibility of rival managers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho working in each corner too.

For now, Crolla should take a step back and look at what he’s achieved. At one stage, it seemed he may not get far beyond domestic level—now he's mixing it with the best at 135 pounds.

He told Sky Sports in the immediate aftermath he couldn't celebrate a defeat. Thankfully, though, the nicest man in boxing didn't forget how to smile.