Crolla's Column: Back on the Road

Manchester’s newest venue opened its doors to boxing last weekend, and the show at Co-op Live didn’t disappoint. There were thrills and spills and drama on the night with Jack Catterall putting in a great display to beat Regis Prograis in the main event.

I was commentating on the fight for BBC Five Live, but earlier in the evening I’d been in the corner for my younger brother William who won his sixth pro fight in fairly spectacular fashion – after just 44 seconds of the first round. It was a step up against Lorenzo Grasso, but he was very ruthless, and it was a great shot, a shot we’ve been working on in the gym. It was a statement made, but obviously next time we need to get some rounds!

I really felt for Campbell Hatton who lost to Jimmy Joe Flint for the second time. Campbell has had to deal with all sorts of pressure since he came on the scene, and he did show improvements in the early rounds. No one can ever doubt his heart either.

There was drama with the chief support fight between Reece Bellotti and Mikey Gomez Jr being pulled at the final hour. Mikey has since been treated for a kidney infection and I just feel bad for both lads. I absolutely understand Reece’s frustration, but I know Mikey and he wouldn’t spew a fight.

Moving on to this weekend and it’s a very busy one for me. I’m in Belfast for a big Friday night of action with my man Robbie Davies Jr taking on Javier Fortuna at the SSE Arena.

Robbie will be the bigger man in the ring, but you have to respect Fortuna’s power. He’ll be nice and sharp and is a very good fighter, but Robbie has to be smart and make Fortuna fall short. I think it’ll be a tough fight, but one I think Robbie can win, probably on points.

I really like Kurt Walker who’s on the undercard. He boxes Rudy Garcia, but I think it’s a great stage for Kurt to show off his lovely skills.

Pody McCrory is another of the Belfast fighters I really like. I expect him to get a good win under his belt against Leonard Carillo. I remember meeting Pody at the Cheltenham festival and it was a while after he lost his big title shot against Edgar Berlanga, but he was still devastated. He gave a really good account of himself, and I think he’ll get another win on Friday and then a shot at a world title again.

I love Belfast. It is one of my favourite cities and it’s just a shame that I won’t get time to enjoy the sights and sounds as much as I’d like! I’m sure I’ll still manage to squeeze in a black milkshake or two, but I have a very early flight on Saturday morning as I need to be in Birmingham.

My fighter Eoghan Lavin has his third pro fight at the Resorts World Arena against tough Frenchman Remi Scholer. This is a fight I expect Eoghan to win well, but Remi has shown he has power – he knocked out Jack Oliphant at York Hall earlier this year – and it’s a good test. I like these lads who come and have a real go. Eoghan’s looking well and has settled in well at the gym since moving over from Ireland. He’s a good character.

I always enjoy watching Ekow Essuman who is also on the bill. He has an unbelievable engine on him and was involved in a fantastic fight with Owen Cooper last time out. I think Ekow has the edge in this one and will probably nick it on points, but Ben Vaughan is very heavy handed, so it will be interesting.

Chantelle Cameron is a fighter I’ve always rated and is definitely one of the pound-for-pound best female fighters. She has a decent challenge in the opposite corner – Sweden’s Patricia Berghult – who lost to my mate Natasha Jonas. I expect Chantelle to be too strong and she possibly stops Berghult late.

The main event is a cracker. Liam Davies and Shabaz Masoud is so hard to call. I think Liam is a slight favourite and he is absolutely huge at the weight. Does Shabaz have the style to make life difficult for Liam? It’s a real pickem. I think it’s a brilliant fight and I think the winner gets a world title shot. Gun to head, I think Davies wins on points.