Pérez will look to come back after his defeat at the hands of Englishman Crolla.
WBA lightweight champion Darleys Pérez lost his belt in a rematch against British champion Antony Crolla on November 21. The pair fought an entertaining but controversial match in July that ended in a draw, even though one judge scored a clear 116-110 victory for the Mancunian. This time around, however, Crolla proved too much for the plucky Colombian, flooring him at the start of the fifth with a devastating body shot. The left-handed blow was vicious and Pérez failed to beat the count, falling to his first ever knockout defeat (TKO), and first loss since a fight two years ago against Panamanian Yuriorkas Gamboa.
The Crolla bouts were Pérez’s first defences of the lightweight title proper, after he originally became interim champion and defended the title successfully against Jaider Parra and Jonathan Maicelo. However, Crolla’s was just that bit too much for Pérez. The Antioquian fighter’s record now stands at 32-2-1 and he will be looking to pick himself off the canvas and challenge again for the lightweight belt in 2016.
