December 23, 2024

WBA confirms Crolla in line for Lomachenko-Pedraza winner

Anthony Crolla looks like he’s going to get his title shot in 2019.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

The WBA has confirmed that Anthony Crolla is next in line for a shot at their lightweight title, which will be contested in a unification fight on Dec. 8 in New York between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jose Pedraza.

Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KO) is coming off of three straight wins over Ricky Burns, Edson Ramirez, and Daud Yordan.

Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KO) is the big favorite against Pedraza (25-1, 12 KO), and would be a huge favorite against Crolla, a battler and a contender and a very likable guy, but hardly considered an elite fighter. Even if Pedraza won, and considering he’d have beaten Lomachenko to do it, he would be the heavy favorite against Crolla.

But Crolla has done all that was asked of him and it’s only right that he get the shot, no matter what anyone thinks of his chances. There are worse world title fights all the time, which is, I guess, a backhanded way of saying I don’t mind Crolla getting in there against the Loma-Pedraza winner.

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