Simon Stacpoole

Sitting down to witness two fighters give their all is sometimes taken for granted by those who cast their eyes on a sport that can be brutal at times.

Anthony Crolla is one of those competitors. The former world champion is highly thought of due to his desire to give his all consistently inside the ropes.

Saturday night was no different for ‘Million Dollar’. Crolla laid it all on the line in front of his beloved home fans in Manchester.

Crolla battled hard against Indonesian Daud Yordan in a fight which could have gone either way. At the finale, it was Crolla who came out on top.

In the wake of victory, Crolla was required to give a drug testing sample. He then posted the result on his social media channel.

The evidence is just a shade of what boxers have to go through. Not only during the fight but after they punch each other’s faces and bodies in for what can be 36 minutes.

Discolored and looking more like a blackcurrant drink, Crolla’s sample was a symbol of what nearly every fighter will go through in their career.

BODY

Taking liver shots and solid body attacks is the harsh reality of what these men and women put on the line. And solely for the entertainment purposes of the fans.

Personal glory can often be left as an afterthought for many of our heroes. Those of whom have to deal with several days of agonising recovery once the final bell sounds.

The throngs of triumph will bring a potential world title shot against Vasyl Lomachenko for Crolla. Something that will be a comfort of consolation as he nurses back to full health.









The Manchester man wasn’t the only one dealing with a painful evening as friend Sam Hyde suffered a badly swollen eye.

Being the man he is, Hyde had refused to go to the hospital after his defeat to Richard Riakporhe.

That was until he’d witnessed his stablemate Crolla have his hands raised in the co-feature bout to Oleksandr Usyk v Tony Bellew.

Some fighters are simply a different breed. Boxing is no joke.