World title contender Anthony Crolla hopes to return to the ring as
early as May, less than six months after burglars fractured his skull
and broke his ankle.
The Mancunian lightweight admits he is lucky
to even be alive after he was brutally attacked with a concrete slab
when trying to apprehend thieves who had attempted to rob his
neighbour's house.
However, Crolla - who obviously had to
postpone next week's world title shot against WBA champion Richar Abril -
is certain he will box again and hopes to return even sooner than his
original target of the summer.
"I'm 100% certain I'll be back," he told Press Association Sport.
"I
can get a bit carried away and start thinking 'well I can be getting
around a bit in a few weeks, it won't take long to get fit, I can get
back sparring'.
"But the sparring is the thing I need to be
careful with and wait. I'll probably need brain scans even before I
return to sparring.
"At first we were aiming for July, then we
cut it back to June. I honestly think I can be ready for May, late May.
We'll see. I really believe that.
"Because I've gone through this and suffered this bit of heartache, I'll be even more focused than before."
Former British champion Crolla, 28, is back on his feet this week after having the cast on his ankle removed.
"The most serious injury is obviously the fracture to the skull but that's not giving me any trouble," he said.
"I'm
not suffering any headaches or anything. The British Boxing Board of
Control have been in touch with me and there are certain medical
requirements which are very strict, for the safety of our sport, which
I'll have to pass.
"I'll have the brain scans before I get the
all-clear. I had scans when it happened and there was no bleeding on the
brain. There won't be a problem with them, it's just better to be safe
than sorry.
"The ankle was broken in two places but is healing
brilliantly. I've got one of the top experts in the country working on
it and he thinks it will get back to 100%.
"I've already had the
cast off and I'm walking on it. In the last few days I've had to stop
myself because I'm almost feeling like I'm ready to start shadow-boxing
and I'm having to hold myself back, which is hard.
"There are
certain little exercises I can do and I'm so much happier now, because
there's only so much sitting around on the couch eating selection boxes
you can do before you want to get back in the gym."
You can reach Phil Barnett on twitter at: @barnettoPA_
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