By Shaun Brown
Anthony Crolla’s trainer, Joe Gallagher, contacted BoxingScene.com today to categorically deny that there is no deal in place for his world lightweight contender to fight Hank Lundy on Sep 13 in Manchester.
Lundy (25-3-1, 12KOs) had tweeted earlier today that he would be fighting on that date in
Manchester and confirmed it would be against Crolla on the second weekend in
September.
Gallagher says that the reward isn’t worth the risk.
“I don’t know why Hank Lundy is putting out that he’s fighting Crolla (28-4-1, 11 KOs). Unless someone’s gonna come and give Anthony fortunes of money to fight him what is the reward for him in that fight? It doesn’t outweigh the risk. I don’t where that’s come from. We wanted a world title shot that we haven’t got. So why we should fight someone, who could be as good as a world champion, for something that’s not even a final eliminator?”
Crolla was in the frame to face WBA lightweight champion, Richar Abril, but the Cuban will now travel to Finland on Sep 20 to defend his title against Edis Tatli. Gallagher feel that after his own fighter’s schedule over the last two years no-one would begrudge him a tick-over fight in the meantime.
“I know Anthony Crolla is a good TV fighter and he’s crowd friendly but the way some people are going they would want Anthony beaten and busted up by the way they want him in hard fights all the time. The schedule he’s had over the last two years has been hard. People are saying it’s a great fight [against Lundy] and it is but unless someone’s going to come and give Anthony pot loads of money to fight that kid why on earth would he? A lot of fighters in this country get as they call them, ‘tick over fights,’ when waiting for a world title shot. At the moment what I need from Anthony after that John Murray fight is not an easy payday but a tick over fight until we see what happens with the world titles with Abril or Crawford or whatever. I don’t think many could begrudge Anthony one of those either.”
Shaun Brown is the
UK Editor at Boxing Scene and a contributor to Boxing Monthly. He can be
contacted at sbrownboxing@gmail.com with any news, views or stories you may
have.