Friday, November 27, 2009
For many in attendance, the fight of the night was to be the undercard contest between Manchester rivals Anthony Crolla and Michael Brodie in an eight round contest. Crolla however had no such ideas about making it a long drawn out contest, as he convincingly dismantled Brodie over three pulsating rounds. Brodie was returning for his second fight after a four-year hiatus, and though he had got off the floor in his previous fight against Mark Alexander, he was unable to continue after an onslaught from Crolla at the end of the third. A right hook sent Brodie face first into the canvas and although he rose at the count of nine, his unsteady legs were enough for referee Steve Gray to finish the contest.
Crolla started the fight brightly landing the cleaner, more effective punches on the former world challenger, Brodie. It continued in the second as Crolla, weighing in at 130 pounds, landed a good left hook early in the round and followed up with a strong, straight right towards the end of the round.
Crolla continued to impose upon Brodie, using his elbows and gloves to catch the experienced fighter’s advances, and following up with sharp punches of his own. A combination against the ropes by Crolla, showed signs that Brodie was weakening and a left hook followed by a right hook at the end of the round put Brodie down and out.
For Crolla, now 15-2, the victory puts him back in the mix on the domestic super featherweight scene, with some exciting potential contests and a possible British title shot down the line. For Brodie, 36-4-1, the outlook is perhaps not so bright.