Popular British lightweight Anthony Crolla insists that he is flying in training camp ahead of his unification rematch with Jorge Linares in Manchester, England, on March 25.

Crolla, who is rated No. 4 by THE RING at 135 pounds, was told by trainer Joe Gallagher that he had to lock himself away as he prepared to meet the Venezuelan for the second time. Their first encounter was highly competitive but Linares deserved the unanimous decision he was given and picked up both THE RING and WBA titles.

“I understood what Joe meant in the press conference,” said Crolla. “I think in the past I have been a bit stupid and that’s been my fault. I run around with tickets and stress over things. I’ve been told it for years but this time it’s been different and I’m flying in camp. It’s been a load off my shoulders and I am just concentrating on getting my belt back.

“We’re both bringing different game and there’s no doubt that we’ll both leave it all in the ring like we did last time. I did everything I could to win last time but I came up short. The right man won but there wasn’t a lot in it. This time I am going to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s a second chance to win those belts and a second chance to beat a great fighter like Jorge. I’ve prepared myself physically and mentally to be better than him this time.

Crolla continued, “I was disappointed that I lost, and you should never be satisfied with losing. I was happy that I gave everything on the night but there were things that I did that I was annoyed about and I won’t be making (those mistakes) this time. He didn’t outclass me because two of the judges only had one point in it. We’ve made the adjustments to make sure the result is different.”

Also on the card, Brian Rose and Jack Arnfield meet at middleweight, Martin J. Ward defends his British junior lightweight title against Maxi Hughes, and Marcus Morrison meets Jason Welborn. Former British light heavyweight champion Hosea Burton returns and Irish sensation Katie Taylor fights for the fourth time as a professional. There will also be action for Tomi Tatham, Ben Sheedy, Nathan Wheatley and Sean McGoldrick.

Information courtesy of a press release issued by Matchroom Boxing.

Tickets are on sale priced at £40, £60, £80, £100 and £150 and available from www.manchesterarena.com or by calling 0844 847 8000. VIPs tickets are exclusively available through www.matchroomboxing.com priced at £250. Face value tickets for March 25 will also be available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/

Tom Gray is a UK Correspondent/ Editor for RingTV.com and a member of THE RING ratings panel.  Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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