WATCH: Anthony Crolla Refuses To Be Pulled Out Of World Title Fight

Unfortunately for Anthony Crolla, it was repeat rather than revenge as he came up against Jorge Linares in Manchester, on Saturday night.

The Venezuelan produced a virtuoso performance en route to a wide decision with all three judges scoring the fight 118-109.

The ultra-slick Linares proved too much for the gritty Crolla who fought courageously after hitting the canvas in the seventh courtesy of a masterful uppercut.

_{(Crolla touches down after getting tagged. Image: PA)}

The defending champion was dominating the bout, and it even looked like trainer Joe Gallagher was ready to pull his fighter from the contest.

That was until Crolla plead not to. Check out the interaction between the fighter, coach and referee Howard Foster below:

_{(Credit: Sky Sports)}

Heart of a lion! And that's why Crolla is beloved. Not just in Manchester, but across the U.K and the world.

Hopefully it's not too long till we hear 'Ohh, Anthony Crolla' beamed around the Manchester Arena aka Crolla's house.

Here is the landscape of the lightweight division following Linares' victory including fellow-Mancunian, Terry Flanagan:

WBA - Jorge Linares

WBC - Mickey Garcia

IBF - Robert Easter Jr.

WBO - Terry Flanagan

Who do you want to see Linares and Crolla fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Topics: Boxing

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@https://twitter.com/NasJabbar