Getty Anthony Crolla at an April 10, 2019 press conference before his fight with Vasyl Lomachenko.
Anthony “Million Dolla” Crolla is a British lightweight boxer. Known for his willingness to engage other fighters and put on an exciting show, Crolla has one of the most rabid fan bases in the sport. Even as the underdog challenger heading into his fight with Vasyl Lomachenko tonight, Crolla’s fans dominated the weigh-ins as he received a much louder ovation compared to Lomachenko. (You can start a free trial here to watch the fight live tonight.)
Crolla was born in Manchester, England on November 16, 1986. After making his professional debut in October of 2006, Crolla has proven to be one of the most active fighters in the division. Even after suffering a fractured skull in December 2014 that shelved his first shot at a world title, Crolla bounced back and ended up winning a WBA lightweight title in his first fight back in July of 2015. The eight-month span marked the second longest inactive stretch of his career.
With such a strong following, an exciting fight style, and compelling backstory, Anthony Crolla looks poised to become a much bigger name following his fight with pound-for-pound superstar Vasyl Lomachenko.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Who Is Anthony Crolla’s Wife?
Anthony Crolla’s wife is Fran Sanderson. Crolla married Sanderson in August of 2018. However, Crolla and Sanderson had to put their honeymoon on hold as Crolla had a November 10 date with Daud Yordan. Crolla wound up beating Yordan to help set up his title shot with Vasyl Lomachenko.
Ahead of his March 2018 bout with Edson Ramirez, Crolla touched on how his family has helped him improve as a fighter.
“I’ve always been dedicated as a boxer but now I’ve got a family it has changed my life,” Crolla told Machester Evening News, “My son was born four and a half years ago and it’s given me a lot of focus during that time.”
Crolla’s son, Jesse, was born on September 2nd, 2013. Coincidentally, this stretch coincided with some of the highest highs of Crolla’s career. Crolla first won his WBO intercontinental lightweight belt in July of 2013 and would go on to subsequently defend the belt three times – including once in November 2013 just three months after Jesse was born.
2. What Is Anthony Crolla’s Record?
Anthony Crolla celebrates his victory over Daud Yordan.
Anthony Crolla’s record is 34-6-3. Crolla is a former WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Champion, WBA Lightweight Champion, and British lightweight champion. The British fighter lost his WBA belt in a close fight at the hands of Jorge Linares and ended up dropping an immediate rematch to Linares as well. However, since dropping consecutive fights, Crolla has gone on a very solid three-fight win streak and now finds himself staring down one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
An interesting wrinkle to Crolla’s boxing record is the fact that Lomachenko will only be his third fight outside of the United Kingdom. Crolla’s first fight outside of the UK came in Düsseldorf, Germany in 2008. Crolla wouldn’t fight outside of the UK again until 2011 when he took on Juan Montiel at the MGM in Las Vegas.
Having not fought on US soil in almost eight years, Crolla is a bit of a wildcard heading into his bout with Lomachenko. For what it might be worth, he won both of his previous international fights and his camp confirmed at the Lomachenko vs. Crolla weigh-ins that they had arrived in Los Angeles a week and a half ago – giving him plenty of time to acclimate to the time difference.
Lomachenko vs. Crolla airs Friday, April 12, on ESPN+. You can watch it for free by starting a free 7-day trial here.
3. What Is Anthony Crolla’s Height?
Vasiliy Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla pose for photos.
Anthony Crolla’s height is 5’9″. The average lightweight boxer stands 5’8.5″, giving Crolla a slight height advantage over the average fighter he faces. Against Lomachenko, Crolla will certainly be the bigger fighter as not only does he stand two inches taller, but weighed in slightly heavier (134.8 vs. 134.4). At the weigh-ins, Crolla looked to be a significantly larger fighter and may come into the ring with a very solid advantage in the weight department.
A natural lightweight, Crolla has fought at 135 pounds for nearly his entire professional career. Against Lomachenko, this gives him a small, but helpful, advantage. Lomachenko started his career at featherweight before recently making his move up in weight. Naturally a larger fighter with nearly 40 professional fights at lightweight, Crolla has much more experience at 135 pounds compared to Lomachenko.
Crolla will need to use his size advantage if he wants to beat the brilliant technician that is Vasyl Lomachenko. Lomachenko is especially dangerous against orthodox fighters and uses his footwork to do an excellent job of keeping opposing fighters at an arm’s length – his comfort zone.
Crolla needs to use his height and weight advantage to bully and pressure Lomachenko – similar to the gameplan that Orlando Salido followed. Crolla knows this and said as much, telling Heavy that “Lomachenko is a much more improved professional since then, he looked tougher in the Linares fight and also in the Pedraza fight last time out” adding “I’m going to need to mix in a little bit of everything.”
Especially when Lomachenko’s hands start to open up, Crolla will need to eat a few punches and work his way inside to disrupt the champion’s rhythm. However, Crolla cannot be reckless in his attempts to close distance against Lomachenko and admitted to needing to apply “educated pressure” throughout the fight.
4. Who Could Be Anthony Crolla’s Next Fight?
GettyAnthony Crolla celebrates his victory over Edson Ramirez.
If Crolla beats Lomachenko, he could set up a massive lightweight showdown in which Anthony Crolla’s next fight would be with Mikey Garcia. Garcia is currently ESPN’s second-ranked lightweight and the only fight he has lined up is a four-round exhibition against boxing legend Erik Morales on May 18th. Should both fighters come out on top, a unification bout between Crolla and Morales would be the fight fans are most interested in seeing. Of course, this matchup would be contingent on Garcia deciding to not vacate the belt.
If Crolla loses to Lomachenko, especially if he can keep the fight competitive, he could set up a showdown between two men that Lomachenko has defeated. Jose Pedraza is one of the lightweight division’s most promising fighters and is looking to rebound from his loss to Lomachenko with a May 25th matchup against Antonio Lozada. Should Pedraza win, Crolla may make for an interesting matchup for Pedraza as the two fighters would both be looking to get back into the mix at the top of the division.
Another option if Crolla drops his fight against Lomachenko is Teofimo Lopez. The exciting 21-year-old prospect is a perfect 12-0 and has an April 20th fight with Edis Tatli on the books next. Should Lopez win, he would most likely be a fight or two away from a shot at the belt. An eliminator fight against a savvy veteran fighter like Crolla would prove to be an excellent test for both men.
5. How Did Anthony Crolla Win the British Lightweight Title?
Anthony Crolla celebrates after victory over John Murray for the WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Title.
Anthony Crolla beat John Watson via a ninth-round TKO to win the vacant British Lightweight Championship in 2011. Crolla came out of the gates hot against Watson and clearly took the first round. The fighters would proceed to trade rounds up until the fifth where Watson cracked Crolla with an uppercut before being backed against the ropes where he landed a low blow, forcing the ref to step in and give Crolla time to recover.
Crolla used that time extremely well and was able to weather the ensuing blitz from Watson when the fight started back up. The round would end with both fighters standing toe to toe and throwing the kitchen sink at one another, much to the crowd’s pleasure.
Watson never looked the same after the fifth round and came out looking tired out entering the second half of the fight. Crolla was able to slowly start controlling the fight despite repeated attempts from the gassed Watson to hang around. After picking apart Watson for the first two and a half minutes in the ninth round, Crolla ducked under a sloppy left hand and threw a massive right hook to the body followed by a left hook to the jaw that sent Watson tumbling to the canvas.
Lomachenko vs. Crolla airs Friday, April 12, on ESPN+. You can watch it for free by starting a free 7-day trial here.