Anthony Crolla outpoints Limond in Willie Motherwell
ENGLISHMAN Anthony Crolla retained his British lightweight title with a comprehensive points win over Willie Limond at the Ravenscraig Sports Centre in Motherwell last night.
The Glaswegian, 32, had lost only three times in 37 bouts before he entered the ring but it turned out to be a bridge too far for him.
Crolla, 25, was stronger and faster and slowly sapped the energy from Limond in a fight that was absorbing more than exciting. At the end, the scorecard showed 120-108, 120-108 and 120-109 in favour of the Mancunian in what was an impressive first defence of his title.
The first round was tentative as both boxers found their reach, rarely straying from the centre of the ring. Crolla landed a good right-hand at the start of the second and found the target with several jabs as the veteran challenger appeared that little bit more cautious.
The champion was a little bit more aggressive as the rounds began counting down but there was little between the fighters, whose respective defences looked solid. Crolla was forcing the pace and finding some joy with his body shots but Limond was slipping and deflecting many of the attacks.
By the midway point of the fight, though, Crolla was beginning to get his punches through, none of which were spectacular but eye-catching nevertheless.
Seconds into the seventh round the arena was plunged into darkness when the lights went out, but when the fight resumed, Crolla continued to force the pace. He bossed the middle of the ring, delivering combinations and clusters while Limond was forced to spend most of his energy on his defence.
Although the fight refused to burst into life, Crolla’s industry was keeping Limond on the back foot and the title seemed to be slipping away from the Glaswegian as the contest entered its latter stages.
Limond began bleeding from the nose in the tenth round and hope slipped away further, the home crowd sensing that too.
A rally in the 11th round reignited Limond’s fans but only momentarily as Crolla responded in kind. The two boxers hugged before the start of the last round but the champion’s supporters were in full voice, confident that their man had done more than enough to keep his belt. And they were right.
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