Eales to face Crolla in battle of KO kings

Ashlee Eales…another big fight over 10 rounds. Picture: Aidan Hewitt

SHOWMAN Ashlee Eales is, as ever, spitting out soundbites before his intriguing clash with William Crolla.

Crolla, with one loss in a 10 fight career crammed with stoppages, is the younger brother of Manchester’s former WBA lightweight champ Anthony Crolla.

Nuneaton’s Eales is the flashy, hard-hitting former Midlands light-middleweight champ whose moves are unorthodox, to say the least.

Last time out, he savoured the big stage, stepping in at very short notice to face Elliot Whale on a major Boxxer promotion in Leeds. The 31-year-old gave a creditable performance before understandably flagging and being stopped in the sixth. That was only the second loss in 13.

Eales and Crolla meet in a 10 rounder at Planet Ice, Altrincham, on April 3. Crolla, aged 27, was originally slated to face Wolverhampton’s Jermaine Osbourne-Edwards in a English title eliminator.

Understandably, replacement Eales wants the same status attached to their bout.

He confidently predicted: “I am going to punch his head off early. He’s fit and explosive, but he’s stepped-up once and been found out. I know if it goes chin to chin, mine will be the better.”

The “step up” is a reference to Crolla’s stoppage loss to Scot Fraser Wilkinson last July. Wilkinson registered a big upset by winning in six.

Eales is a very heavy hitter.

That’s the only blip in a career that has seen Crolla travel the distance only twice. He bounced back from it with another stoppage.

Eales is confident his grand plans won’t be derailed. He said: “I want to go straight to the English title. I want the big tests. I want the English by the end of the year.”