Darleys Perez and Anthony Crolla will have their anticipated rematch at the Manchester Arena on November 21, it was announced at a press conference in Manchester, England, today. At stake is Perez’s WBA World lightweight title.

A resident of Manchester, 28-year-old Crolla (29-4-3, 11 KOs) challenged the 32-year-old champ from Colombia (32-1-1, 20 KOs) in July, the fight ending in a highly controversial majority decision draw, with many fans and observers seeing it as a clear win for the challenger. The bout was Crolla’s first since late 2014, when he suffered a fractured skull and broken foot as the result of taking on burglars who were raiding a neighbor’s home.

“The dream is still alive,” said Crolla, who’s 11th-ranked by the WBA. “In fact, the decision last time has just added fuel to the fire. I’ve had a few people say ‘will he be able to do it again and be up for it after what happened last time?’ Well if I can’t get up for a world title fight, a rematch, then I’m in the wrong sport. I won’t be the first fighter to get a bad decision and I won’t be the last. I’m expecting a better Darleys Perez and there’s certainly going to be a better Anthony Crolla this time. It’s changed on the street from being known as the boxer who got hit on the head with a concrete slab to the boxer who got robbed in a world title fight. I prefer that. But I’ve moved on and I’ll leave no doubt this time around.”

“I feel I won the fight,” said Perez, “although Crolla is a good boxer and he did well on the night. This time I will make sure everybody knows who the champion is. I’m happy to come back to Britain (the July match had taken place at the same venue), although I didn’t expect it to be so soon.”

This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.