By Sean McDaniel: In what has to be considered a major upset, Derry Mathews (30-6-1, 15 KO’s) defeated British lightweight champion Anthony Crolla (23-3, 9 KO’s) by a 6th round TKO on Saturday night at the Oldham Sports Centre in Oldham, England.

Mathews dropped Crolla in the 3rd round, and gave him a real pounding in the round.

Sensing an upset here, Mathews really poured it on in the 4th with constant pressure and big shots landed. Crolla was firing back the best he could, but he kept walking into big punches from Mathews.

Mathews continued the fast pace into the 5th, throwing everything he had at Crolla trying to get the stoppage. It was clear that Mathews couldn’t keep up this kind of pace for a full 12 round bout, but he seemed to be betting everything that he could get a stoppage. Crolla fired back as best as he could in this round, but Mathews again got the better of the action with his big right hands to the head.

Crolla should have focused on boxing going into the 6th, because he was taking too much punishment from Mathews. However, he kept up the attack, as if he could somehow slow Mathews down by slugging it out with him. This played right into Mathews’s hands, because he fired away at him with shot after shot, hurting Crolla with a big left hand. Referee John Keane then jumped in and halted the fight before Crolla could get really hurt.

Overall, it was a great fight for both guys. Crolla controlled the early part of the fight with his power shots. The fight turned around in the 3rd when Mathews hurt Crolla with a series of big uppercuts, and left him with a big cut under his left eye.