Anthony Crolla: I knew in the first minute I would win
Wednesday 11 May 2016 17:52, UK
Anthony Crolla has told Sky Sports News HQ that he knew "within a minute" that he would beat Ismael Barroso.
The champion soaked up the punishment in the early rounds but the tables turned midway through the fifth round and Crolla forced a stoppage in the seventh.
"Honestly, I was so confident," said Crolla. "Everyone was saying before it 'are you a little bit too relaxed?' but I knew all the hard work had been done and it was just a matter of going out there and carrying out the tactics which had been set out.
"I knew within a minute, although him being a very, very big puncher, I was confident the fight was going to go exactly the way it did."
Crolla defeated Darleys Perez in five rounds to win the world title but says Saturday's victory may have eclipsed his November win.
"I'm not sure, it might of even topped it," added Crolla. "You never get the feeling back of becoming a world champion and achieving the dream that I've had for so long.
"But on Saturday night because I was a big underdog and because of the reputation that Barroso came over with, if it wasn't better it was very close to it."
Crolla, who says he still feels "on top of the world", will take a short break to spend time with family and friends before sitting down with trainer Joe Gallagher and promoter Eddie Hearn to discuss his next move.
WBC champion 'in recess' Jorge Linares and WBO holder Terry Flanagan have been touted as possible next opponents in unification matches.
"Both of those fights are fantastic and I'm open to both. I'll sit down in the next week or so with Joe, Eddie and the team. We'll just take whichever is the biggest fight out there, the fight that makes the most business sense.
"I'm the fighter, I just go away, work hard and get told what to do and that's me, but Eddie is in talks with all the champions at the minute for a unification fight and hopefully that can happen later in the year."
