Conlan confident Crocker will take step towards British title bid
MANAGER Jamie Conlan says that victory tonight in Bolton will leave Lewis Crocker one step away from a shot at the British welterweight title.
Belfast man Crocker impressed in August with a stoppage of Louis Greene and now takes another step up in class when he meets Germany’s Denis Ilbay, who has two defeats in 24 fights. One of those losses came against former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
Hard-hitting Crocker is expected to triumph in the 10-rounder and then Conlan will hope to move him into contention for a shot at the Lonsdale belt.
“I’m looking at a British title eliminator for Lewis if he comes through this one and I expect this to be a good test for him. Ilbay’s an experienced guy and we’ve gone for him because I want to see him get more rounds,” said Conlan.
“So, the plan would be to have the British title eliminator and then, if all goes well, we’re looking at a British title shot by the end of the year.
“But we’re not looking past Ilbay. Lewis is still a young fighter and has a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to how he handles this test.”
Crocker, 24, has rattled up 12 straight wins since turning pro in March 2017 but is now aiming to move to another level.
Crocker said: “I’m delighted that I’m fighting again and it’s great to get back in the swing of things. It’s just about going in there and putting on a good performance.
“Ilbay has won several titles and has been in there with world class opposition, so I’m expecting my toughest test to date. Headlining another show back to back is quite special and it’s all good experience for me and my progression throughout my career. Training has been great and all the boxes have been ticked.”
German Ilbay insists that he will have the tools to cause an upset this evening, claiming: “We looked at a few fights from
Crocker and we picked out a few weaknesses that he has got.”
However, Crocker’s hammer fists should get the job done inside the scheduled 10 rounds of this WBO European title bout.
Meanwhile, European cruiserweight champion Tommy Mccarthy will make his first defence against Romanian Alexandru Jur.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is expected to stage the bout in London and Belfast man Mccarthy will hope that an expected victory will edge him closer to a world title shot.
SIX Nations chief executive Ben Morel denies that the completion of a £365m agreement with CVC Capital Partners means the end of the Championship being broadcast on free-to-air channels.
The private equity firm has acquired a 14.3 per cent stake in the tournament — subject to regulatory approval — equating to a 1/7th share, with the six unions holding a share each.
The long-term deal also includes the autumn internationals and the women’s and Under-20s competitions and expands CVC’S interests in rugby union after deals were struck with the Gallagher Premiership and Guinness PRO14.
A crucial element of the arrangement is that “the six unions will retain sole responsibility for all sporting matters as well as majority control of commercial decisions” — and Morel insists this includes TV rights.
The existing deal with ITV and BBC ends after the current
Championship and it is feared that CVC will seek a return on investment through a move to pay TV channels, with negotiations concluding over the coming weeks.
But Morel said: “There is no correlation. CVC are interested in long-term value creation. Any decision over free-to-air, moving to pay — those decisions will remain in the power of the unions.
“The unions will have to make that thoughtful, long-term decision about what is in the best interests of the game.
“Ultimately, financing is important because it funds the community and amateur game. It’s about finding that right balance.”
Underlining the value of ITV and BBC are the vast numbers tuning in, with England’s calamitous defeat by Scotland on the opening weekend peaking at 8.7million. The figures have been strong across the three rounds.
“The audiences have been phenomenal. The special moments the Six Nations bring go beyond sport really. We recognise the responsibility we have,” Morel said. “The long-term interests of the game are what will guide us and CVC are aligned with that.”
The £365m is distributed on a sliding scale according to audience share, with the Rugby Football Union securing £95m down to Italy’s portion, thought to be in the region of £36m.
Italy’s stake ends any hope of promotion and relegation into the Six Nations being introduced in the foreseeable future as the Azzurri desperately seek to end their brutal 30-match losing run.
Morel sees revamped autumn and July schedules that will come into effect in 2024 as the best windows for exposing less established teams to Test action.
“This doesn’t mean the Six Nations will always remain as they are. There’s no game-changer because of the deal either way,” said Morel on the topic of relegation.
“There’s an immediate way to create competitive matches for those emerging nations to get betters. That’s the opportunity for growth.”