Sunday 22 November 2015 11:09, UK
Anthony Crolla can barely believe his dream has finally come true.
The Manchester man was crowned WBA world lightweight champion at the second attempt after finishing off Darleys Perez with a fifth-round body shot.
Crolla had missed out on his first attempt to become a world champion following the fractured skull and broken ankle he sustained chasing burglars at the end of last year.
His return saw him suffer a split-draw decision against Perez in July when he - and most of Manchester - felt he had done enough to make the dream come true, but this time there was no doubting the result and no hiding his emotion afterwards.
I've dreamt this dream since I was 10 years of age
"I've dreamt this dream since I was 10 years of age," he told Sky Sports. "I didn't know it would be this good, honestly. It's even better than I dreamt.
"I believe I am getting stronger all the time, but I thought it was going to be a head shot. I was really confident that I was going to get a head shot but I'll take that body shot any day of the week.
"I'll have to watch it back - I can't remember anything. I do remember touching him up top with a right and then bringing the left in downstairs, and like most people when they land a good body shot I knew it was over there and then."
Crolla was also quick to pay tribute to trainer Joe Gallagher.
The 29-year-old joined friends and stablemates Scott Quigg and Liam Smith in becoming a world champion, and admits he would not even have come close fulfilling a dream without his trainer.
Crolla added: "I went away and worked hard with the team, Joe told me exactly what I had to work on, and we worked so hard in the gym.
"I've got to thank the team around me, Joe has turned my career around as a lot of people had given up on me. I was thankful to have this world title shot and take it like this."
