Wind knocked out of valiant Anthony Crolla's sails, but Jorge Linares rematch would end the same way

Linares is two fights away from potential greatness, while Crolla lost more in going the distance than he would have in a knockout finish

Anthony Crolla salutes the crowd after his loss to Jorge Linares (Getty)

All the signs were right on Saturday night for the type of victory that even in a golden period is rare for a British boxer and when the lights dimmed Anthony Crolla started to fight.

Crolla entered the ring as the WBA lightweight champion, a belt won at the end of a life lived in peril on both sides of the ropes. He had fallen from the top of the gleaming pile of contenders in 2012 when he lost a couple of fights, was reduced to making up the numbers on non-televised shows and then he struggled with a fractured skull after an assault. He still managed to win the WBA belt in 2015 and turned his back on a unique showdown with old school friend Terry Flanagan, who holds the WBO version, for a money fight with Venezuela's Jorge Linares.

The fight was poised after eight rounds, the boxers had each won four rounds, it was the same after ten and that is when Linares, a fighting ambassador with world titles at three weights before Saturday, suddenly started to fight like a man at the start of twelve gruelling rounds and not a man deep in the final two rounds. Crolla suddenly slowed, his feet moved like he was walking in the shallows and his punches had lost any power. Linares danced, feinted and connected with booming right after booming right until the final bell to end a breathless display that had robbed Crolla of more and left him with less than a knockout would have.

Two of the three judges had it very close but there were no complaints from Crolla's corner, no howls from a devoted crowd, and gently into the Manchester night traipsed an exhausted Crolla and his valiant team. There was talk of a rematch, a fight in March with Linares, but in Crolla's shattered voice and body there was something no amount of cosmetic words could conceal. There was only one winner on Saturday and there will only ever be one winner on any given Saturday if the pair ever fight again.

Linares is an old 31, a veteran of world title fights all over the world, a man that has lost three times in bloody brawls and before Saturday night he had been absent from the ring for 11 months. Linares has fought ten world title fights over nine years, winning belts in three weights and in six different countries. He has a wicked smile, as deceptive as any of his brilliant combinations and, having turned professional at just 17 in Tokyo, he speaks fluent Japanese. Linares is a win or two away from greatness. There was a hope on Saturday that he would become an old man overnight, helped on the way by being rusty - it was a false hope.

Crolla, meanwhile, was on a glory roll of two stoppage wins against two good operators in world title fights, both of which took place inside the Manchester Arena and his fans, helped by his intimate association with Manchester United, packed the venue with endless hope. Wayne Rooney was front and centre, throwing punches from the first bell and behind him the venue's beloved saint, Ricky Hatton, stood and fought every second with his friend. It was an emotional night, but winning the title for hearts, guts and desire has never been a British problem.

Obviously, everybody in the Crolla business will push for a rematch and Linares might even slow his ascent to the light-welterweight division for one more financial pit-stop in Britain. On Saturday it was clear that Linares, once he had found a bit of his missing range, was in control and, even as two of the three judges delivered scores that separated the fighters by just one and two rounds respectively, there was no doubting the master of what was a terrific fight. Linares would be more ruthless in a rematch and that is something the Crolla camp would dispute.


 Crolla's voice confirmed he knew he was beat 
 (Getty)

There is an alternative fight for Crolla against the WBO's lightweight champion Terry Flanagan, which would be a difficult but not impossible fight to make happen, and it would put two boys from the same school, a brief period where they crossed in corridors, in the ring for a world title. There is also a chance that Flanagan's people might start talking again to Linares for a partial unification.


 A rematch would likely got he same way, Linares is just too good 
 (Getty)

Flanagan was ringside, watching in silence but even he got lost in the noise and was throwing punches to help Crolla. "I will fight either of them, no problem," said Flanagan. It's possible that the same short sentence could have been spoken by Crolla and Linares.