crolla2 By Scott Gilfoid: After getting a controversial draw last July in his failed attempt to capture the WBA “regular” lightweight title against champion Darleys Perez (32-1-1, 20 KOs), #11 WBA Anthony Crolla (29-4-3, 11 KOs) will be getting another chance to win the WBA title against Perez on November 21st at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. This time Crolla expects to leave no doubt in the minds of the judges by looking to dominate Perez. Crolla took a lot of punishment in that fight from Perez, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Crolla comes into the rematch at 75% of what he was the first time around.

The World Boxing Association has ordered the rematch between Crolla and Perez to clear up the controversy from their last fight.

Crolla was quite fortunate to get a draw last time against Perez, because Crolla would have lost the fight if the referee hadn’t taken points off in the 11th and 12th rounds for Perez landing low blows. The referee literally saved Crolla from losing by taking those points away. The point deduction in the 12th came when Crolla pulled Perez’s head forward to the point where he was in a bent over position while he was in the process of throwing a punch.

The referee appeared to blow the call because it shouldn’t have been a point deduction because you don’t call fouls when one fighter is fouling the other by pulling his head down with both hands at the time they’re hit low. If anything, the referee should have stopped the action and pulled Crolla to the side to tell him to stop pulling down on Perez’s head when he’s throwing punches.

The fight was scored 113-113, 113-113, and 116-111 for Crolla. I had Perez winning 10 rounds to 2, and thought it was a one-sided fight. I didn’t count either of the point deductions from Perez as being legit because he wasn’t throwing a lot of low blows in comparison to Crolla, who was throwing a lot of low blows himself.

NINE WEEKS today we are in Manchester!! #CrollaPerez2 #PrideOfManchester On sale to Fight Pass 12pm tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/dyUvffj7j6

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 19, 2015

Tickets will be sold this Monday on September 21st from £40, £60, £80, £100 and £200. Tickets can be purchased at www.matchroomboxing.com, www.manchester-arena.com or by phoning this number: 0844 847 8000.

You can bet that Perez, 31, will be looking to take the judges and referee out of the fight by shooting for a knockout. With the fight once again taking place at the Manchester Arena, Perez might need to bring his own judges with him in the form of his fists to make sure that he doesn’t wind up on the receiving end of another controversial decision.

“I’m made up to have this opportunity and a second chance,” said Crolla via ringtv.com. “A lot of people feel that I should already be a World champion but bad decisions happen in boxing. I’m one of those people to experience that but I’ve been given a second chance. I will leave nothing to doubt.”

I hate to break this to Crolla but he didn’t do enough to get the win the last time out, and he’s quite fortunate that he wasn’t given a loss for how he fought. I don’t think he deserved anything but a loss, and he should be happy that he was given a gift draw in his hometown arena.

“II believe last time I fought well enough to win the fight and this time I will make sure I get the decision.” Crolla said.

Enzo Maccarinelli wants Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson

With his career heading down the tubes and no longer ranked in the top 15 at light heavyweight, former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli (39-7, 31 KOs) wants a world title shot against WBC 175lb champion Adonis Stevenson and IBF/WBA/WBO champ Sergey Kovalev.

Maccarinelli was stopped in the 5th round last year in a failed title challenge against WBA “regular” light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer in Germany. Maccarinelli was just dominated in that fight and wound up with a swollen right eye. Maccarinelli wants a rematch with Braehmer, but I don’t think he’s going to get one.

“That’s the fight I really want,” Maccarinelli said about a rematch with Braehmer. “I don’t think that was settled properly. I don’t think that fight showed who the better man is.”

Of course, that fight showed who the better man was. Braehmer totally dominated the fight and was barely hit at all by Maccarinelli. What’s the point in the two of them facing each other, and how could it even happen with Maccarinelli not even ranked in the top 15 by any of the boxing organizations.

Maccarinelli will be back inside the ring next month on October 10th against an opponent still to be determined in an eight round fight at the Newport Centre, in Newport, Wales. Maccarinelli wants to fight for the European Union light heavyweight strap after that fight against champion Mehdi Amar.

It’s unclear what Maccarinelli will do if he gets whipped by Amar. At 35, you’ve got to figure that Maccarinelli is near the end of his career and can’t do much more regardless of how many chances he keeps getting. I don’t think Maccarinelli deserved to fight for a title against Braehmer last year. That was a fight that Maccarinelli appeared to get based more on what he’d done in the past than what he’d been doing in recent years with his career.

“Kovalev and Stevenson are beasts,” said Maccarinelli. “I would go after them. I would give it them and if I get caught, I get caught. That’s the way I fight. I’m not going to hide on the ropes.

I really don’t see Maccarinelli getting fights against Braehmer, Stevenson or Kovalev at this point. It just doesn’t look like it’s in the cards for Maccarinelli. For him to get a title shot against one of those fighters, he’ll need to get a top 15 ranking, and probably a top 5 ranking. That will require that Maccarinelli beat at least two top contenders.

Since I don’t see him talented enough to beat even one top contender in the division, I just don’t see it as being realistic for him to beat any of the top fighters at 175. It’s admirable that Maccarinelli wants a payday against the likes of Stevenson, Kovalev and Braehmer, but it’s not likely to happen.