Anthony walks behind him, hands already in the red pads that he’ll use to give Will the least strenuous of workouts. William, 24, is first to make his way to the small, white-roped ring that takes up most of the space in the room. Not new in the sense that he’s never been to these spectacles, he’s rarely missed any of his brother’s boxing engagements. It’s a routine event to promote fight week, but it’s a very new occurrence for William Crolla, younger brother of former WBA lightweight champion Anthony ‘Million Dollar’ Crolla. It’s the Matchroom media workout day ahead of Lara v Wood II. A small side room at the Blok Gym on Ducie Street in the shadow of Piccadilly Station, provides brief respite from the heat outdoors. Manchester, like most of the country, is enjoying brilliant May sunshine. But after deciding he could dedicate his life to the sport and swap scaffolding for sparring, the day finally did arrive. Will, a talented amateur, stepped away from the sport aged 18 as his attachment to the pub grew stronger than his bond with the gym. The debut was a long time coming – around six years in the making. “I’m happy with my performance to be fair, but obviously there are little parts to improve. “I really enjoyed the whole fight week experience,” Will says, pint of lager in hand. ![]() ![]() But every cloud – and there have been many in northern Italy – has a silver lining, and with the Lake District bathed in Spring sunshine, the alternative wasn’t too bad. He’s not particularly pleased that he couldn’t find his passport on Sunday morning, the day after beating Joe Hardy on points, and as a result his planned trip to Milan with girlfriend Nicole was scuppered. It was a hectic week that culminated in victory – albeit with a little drama thrown in – but William Crolla has had time to reflect on his professional boxing debut, and he’s happy.
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