Darleys Perez will defend his WBA World lightweight title against Anthony Crolla over a scheduled 12 rounds at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, Lancashire, England, this Saturday, November 21.
A six-year pro, the 32-year-old native of San Pedro de Uraba, Colombia (32-1-1, 20 KOs), won the interim title in June 2014 by beating Argenis Lopez via unanimous decision. He was declared “full” champion in April. Never stopped, Perez’s only loss came at the hands of Yuriorkis Gamboa, who won by unanimous decision in June 2013, in what was the Colombian’s first try for the title.
Crolla, who turned 29 on November 16, is a nine-year vet (29-4-3, 11 KOs). Fighting out of Manchester, “Million Dollar” challenged Perez for the title 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 Englishman. 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. Ninth-ranked by the WBA, Crolla has only been stopped once, by Derry Mathews, who won by sixth-round TKO in April 2012.
“The dream is still alive,” says Crolla. “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,” says 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.
