Anthony Crolla wanted to rule the Manchester Arena like Ricky Hatton – and he did just that with a stunning first defence of his WBA lightweight title.
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And beating Barroso once again showed how far Crolla has improved since the days when he was beaten by domestic rivals like Derry Mathews and Gary Sykes.
Crolla and trainer Joe Gallagher judged the fight to perfection, taking the fight to the unsafe Venezuelan banger in the opening rounds in the face of his venomous punching power before putting his foot on the gas and pouring on relentless pressure that saw Barroso run out of steam at the halfway point.
Promoter Eddie Hearn proclaimed he was now the ‘No1 lightweight in the world’.
“Manchester boxing is at an all-time high and we’ve got me and Terry Flanagan there, two Manchester lads how went to the same school”, he said. “I felt at the weigh-in that it was going to be a tough night for Kev as he looked a bit frail and he looked a bit old in there”.
Asked how it compared to the stoppage win over Darleys Perez in November which won him the title, Crolla added: “This might have topped it”.
“I knew within 30 seconds the way the fight was going to go. I’ll fight anyone and I wasn’t about to duck my mandatory, no matter how unsafe”, he said.
Barosso: “I think you [Crolla] are talking too much for the time you will spend in the ring”.
Barroso showed just how risky he can be by making a fast start.
“That wasn’t the best Kevin Mitchell that night”.
“It pushes you that little bit harder in the gym and I certainly feel in the best shape of my career, which I will have to be”.
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