Ironically, it was Crolla who was closing in on a fight with WBO title holder Burns before he was derailed by Matthews. Many had credited the Joe Gallagher trained fighter as being the most improved British boxer on the current scene, with wins over John Watson and Willie Limond, before appearing on the Mayweather / Oritz undercard in 2011. Matthews, on the other hand, seemed to be slipping towards the end of his career, and was halted by the unheralded Italian Emiliano Marsili in 7 bloody rounds.
But times change, and Matthews will go into the bout full of confidence after stopping Crolla last time out. His power and long reach could again trouble the Manchester fighter in the early going, but I’d expect Crolla to box far smarter than he did last time out. His jab and impressive work rate will likely cause Matthews problems as the fight progresses. While the game Matthews will keep pouring forward, Crolla’s superb body attack will likely be a deciding factor as ‘Million Dollar’ rallies to stop the champion somewhere around the 10th.
Crolla looks to set the record straight