Crolla was roared onto victory by his home crowd in Manchester after taking Perez to a draw in their controversial first fight.
His world title win came less than a year after he suffered a fractured skull when confronting burglars near his home.
Crolla on beating Perez ‘With the 2nd fight, it was the last 3 or 4 days – I got this belief in me. I just couldn’t see there was any way in me losing the fight. Eddie Hearn told me after it, he’d come in the changing rooms to see me and he was half annoyed because he thought I was too laid back! I knew it was a matter of ‘do what I have to do’ and I’d be the new world champion.’
Crolla on facing Barroso ‘I’m going in a slight underdog, but that’s something I thrive on and has worked well for me in the past. It feels like a challenge because of the amount of people saying I wasn’t going to fight him, that I was going to try and swerve him. It really got my back up a little bit. I thought ‘I’m gonna show you’. When you become a champion you take on the best challenges that you can, I think Ismael Barroso fits that bill. Whether he gets out-boxed for the 12 rounds, or if I get close to him and make things uncomfortable for him, I will find a way to win’
CROLLA v BARROSO PREVIEW
TONIGHT
10.30PM
SKY SPORTS 1
CROLLA v BARROSO – LIVE
SATURDAY
7.30PM
SKY SPORTS 2
