It was only a matter of time before Crolla returned to the ring. The call of fight night just too much to ignore for a man steeped in boxing. No, not former WBA lightweight champion Anthony ‘Million Dolla’ Crolla – he has absolutely no intention of fighting again - this time it is all about his younger brother who is set to make his professional debut.
William takes his place on the undercard of a bill topped by Mauricio Lara v Leigh Wood II at Manchester's AO Arena on May 27.
It is a day that has been a long time coming for Will. By his own admission, the 24-year-old's commitment to the sport was shaky at best as he grafted long hours as a scaffolder, dipping in and out of the gym when his socialising would allow.
“I had a long break from boxing. I turned 18 and did what every 18-year-old was doing,” Will says smiling. “I was earning a wage and started going to the pub. The pub was better than the gym at that time. I had a few years out, came back and then COVID hit. That took another two years off me. I went back to the amateurs, but it wasn’t really for me. I’d rather get paid for it!”
Trained and managed by Ant who is 12 years his senior, Will can look forward to a hometown crowd at the Manchester Arena, the same venue where his big brother made his pro bow in October 2006 on the undercard of Joe Calzaghe’s successful defence of his IBF and WBO super middleweight titles against Sakio Bika.
Eight-year-old Will was ringside that night when Anthony outpointed the fighting accountant from Withington, Abdul Rashid. In fact, he was ringside for each of his sibling’s 45-fights bar two - an early contest against Tomasz Kwiecien in Dusseldorf, and a Las Vegas victory over Juan Montiel.
But like Ricky Hatton before him, the Arena was always Anthony Crolla’s special place. Will was there for the glory nights – Murray, Perez II, and Barroso. He was there for the disappointments – Diaz, Perez, Linares. Now for his own story to unfold.
“It’s a dream come true. Where’s better to debut than the arena that’s ten minutes from my house, where my brother won a world title and I’ve seen the biggest nights there,” Will says. “Obviously, the dream is to try and have your own [big nights]. But to have my debut there is very special. I’m more than thankful to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for allowing me to do that. Eddie did great things for Anthony and helped change his life. Hopefully, he’ll do the same for me!”
It will be another proud day in the Crolla household when Will finally does follow his ex-pro Dad Wayne and brother into the professional ranks. It is a day Anthony doubted would happen.
“Seventy-three comebacks later, he’s finally going to be out there!” He says with a chuckle. “I never wanted William to box to be honest. He knows that. But I believe he’s a better person with boxing. He’ll admit that.
“Without boxing, he’s a bit of a prat and that’s just being honest. He needs some discipline and that’s what boxing is, so I’m glad he’s boxing now because when he wasn’t boxing…. Listen, young lads all do stupid stuff, but he was doing it far too often. He made mistakes and he says himself, the worst thing he ever did was stop boxing. But maybe he just needed that time to grow up a bit and get things out of his system.”
Will nods approvingly and chips in: “I think my dad still thought I was joking until I got a fight date. He used to ask me every day, ‘are you taking training seriously?’ I was like, ‘I didn’t quit work for nowt Dad!’ He sees it now.
“You can’t cheat boxing and it’s something I learned when I was amateur. I used to think, ‘I’ll beat all these kids, I’m better than them.’ But I started losing to kids I should never be losing to, because I wasn’t fit enough. I’d come in, do the bare minimum, do a few pads, and get off. I’m glad I learned the hard way like that.”
Blowing smoke is not a thing this boxing family does – parents Wayne and Maria along with the eldest brother Dominic. They’re close-knit north Mancunians – fully supportive, loving, funny, no nonsense and absolutely brutal.
“We are very close, but we’re also very different,” Ant explains. “Me Mam would happily tell you that William is her least favourite child out of the lot of us. She loves us all the same, but William is the least favourite by a long way.”
“My Dad’s into old-school boxing,” adds Will. “He’s probably the most chilled person I’ve ever met. When Anthony boxed Jorge Linares, the second fight, Linares dropped Anthony in the seventh. If there was a camera on me and me Dad, it probably would’ve been one of the best things you’d ever see! Rather than see me Dad worry, he turns to me, nods his head, and goes, ‘great shot, great shot.’ It was a great uppercut, but no head in hands from me Dad, he just really appreciated the shot! It was a belter.”
The brothers are leaning against the ropes of the ring inside Fox ABC, a neat and tidy gym ensconced within the clubhouse of AVRO FC near Oldham. It is weights day, but Will has just completed a light pad session with Ant before the minor insults fly. It is all fun and games now, but neither are under any illusions about the seriousness of the impending fight night. Inevitably, comparisons will be made, there will be intrigue and plenty of attention from the boxing public. It is all part of the pathway, and something Will, his own man, is ready for.
“I’m not here to be in Anthony’s shadow, I want to shine my own light in the sport. The way I fight, I’m pretty exciting. I’ll make my own fans from off the back of that and I look forward to doing it. But anyone who comes to watch me off the back of Anthony, I couldn’t be more thankful for them.
“I’m a very different style to Anthony. Anthony is very correct, all from a very good, solid base. My base is solid, but I’ve always switched-hit. I believe if you’re going to switch-hit, it’s to your advantage, keeps your opponent thinking. It’s exciting to watch and I plan on showing that on the 27th.”
Anthony had a long and distinguished career, but remarkably for a prize fighter, he managed to navigate the murkier waters of boxing politics, changing trainers and promoters and all those fight weeks, without seemingly having a cross word with anybody.
Even press conferences for fights that would usually guarantee needle – Manc v Scouser [John Watson, Derry Mathews], five (winning) Manchester derbies [Rashid, Brodie, Morris, Farrell, Murray] and the world title fights. Yet no trash talk. As a result, Anthony is widely regarded as one of the all-round good guys. Is it all a Crolla act or family trait?
“I’m chilled in that sense, like, what’s the point in me pushing someone or getting in their face? It’s not going to do anything is it? You do your talking in the ring. But I am a bit different to Anthony, I am a bit more short-fused. If someone’s giving it me, I wouldn’t be able to sit there, laugh and smile without saying something back! I wouldn’t mind a bit of needle; it makes you train harder doesn’t it!”
Still gloved up, Will moves from the ring, and starts tapping away at a heavy bag. Like Anthony before him, the Fox was the club in which he learned his craft - albeit the location has moved a couple of times over the years. Now training full-time, he works alongside fellow professionals Sahir Iqbal, Levi Kinsiona, Bobby Faulkner, Jake James, James Moorcroft, and new Commonwealth titlist Rhiannon Dixon.
“I love training with them all. Anthony’s doing well, he’s had his first champion in Rhiannon. It was a good moment for him, I was happy for him.
“I’ve always had Anthony train me, even when I was young. If I wasn’t training at the Fox, I’d go to the gym where he was training to be near him and be around the fighters he trained with. I grew up in the gym with great fighters, some of British boxing’s best in the past decade – the Smiths,’ Matt Macklin, John Murray, Scott Quigg and Ant.
“Anthony’s a very good coach with a good boxing brain. A lot of people would never think it. When they watched him fight, they may have thought he was quite a one-dimensional fighter, but he wasn’t. He was very, very smart. His boxing brain is one of the best.
“We are very close. I’m always with him, he’s one of my best mates. I always try and do stuff with him, or I go round and see his little boy [nine-year-old Jesse]. He’s doing very well at football, but we don’t talk about that, we just talk about Fortnite. He used to ring me up and ask me what I’m doing, but now he just rings me to ask if I’m going on Fortnite!”
For now, all distractions are off the table as the man from New Moston prepares for his assault on the super-welterweight division.
“He wants to show that he’s good enough to be on these shows and I think that’s a great attitude to have,” Anthony says as he picks up discarded gloves from the ring apron. “He’s been backstage many times, not just with me and my fights, but fights where he’s come with me. It won’t be alien to him, being in the back, getting hands wrapped. He’s been around people, watching them warm up on the big nights. I think he’ll handle it pretty well.
“It gives him a chance to live the dream a little bit. Yes, it’s a four-rounder and I don’t know what time he’s going to get on, but it’s good. It will be emotional for me. I remember when he was a little kid coming backstage with me.”
There is still plenty of hard work to go before William Crolla realises a dream and follows in the footsteps of his brother, making that entrance into the legendary Manchester Arena. He has been working through a mental list to ensure everything is right for a debut he’s been visualising ever since he was a child.
The brown and white shorts are on order, he is still undecided about a boxing nickname – ‘Million Dollar’ has been done. But he has just about nailed the ring-walk music.
“Not to sound cringey, but when I was in school, I’d always daydream about what I’d walk out to. My favourite fighter was James DeGale and he used to walk out to ‘Right Above It’ by Lil Wayne and Drake. I think I’ll come out to that. Every time I’d imagine my ring-walk, I’d think of that song. It’s only fitting I come out to it, I think.”
It is a track all about aiming high, building on success, and shooting for the stars. All very apt for the next Crolla on the block.
