Lyndon Arthur Claims Hard-Fought Victory Against Late Stand-In Boris Crighton

Lyndon Arthur Claims Hard-Fought Victory Against Late Stand-In Boris Crighton

Lyndon Arthur was made to work hard for his unanimous victory against late stand-in Boris Crighton in Bolton. The Manchester boxer had been preparing to face Braian Suarez for the IBO title on this show, but when the Argentinean failed his pre-fight medical, Crighton was drafted in just 30 hours before the first bell.

Despite their familiarity with each other, it was a cagey start, with Arthur routinely firing out his trademark jab. However, Crighton was sharp and focused, seemingly happy to stay out of trouble. He even made the first real breakthrough of the fight in the third round, landing a right hand that momentarily stiffened Arthur’s legs.

Arthur began to find his groove and was able to unsheathe his long right hand, which was starting to have some success behind the ramrod jab. Even so, it was not exactly pretty through six rounds, but Arthur was in control despite some zealous attacks from Crighton.

He upped the pace and workrate in the eighth, opening up a cut beneath Crighton’s left eye. Arthur continued to pile on the pressure in the ninth and landed more right hands, leaving Crighton unable to spot the right hand coming. However, Crighton finished the round in the ascendancy.

Arthur turned the screw once again in the 10th, piling on the pressure and spearing more right hands straight down the pipe. With less than 10 seconds left on the clock, he finally dropped Crighton. Although Crighton was up in time to beat the count, the judges were required, and they delivered a unanimous decision.

Arthur admitted that Crighton had been a tricky opponent, but he was pleased with the ten rounds he had under his belt before his next fight. “It is what it is. I’ll get back in the gym straight away and keep trying to progress. It’s great for me, so I’m happy.”

Despite the hard-fought victory, Arthur is expected to fight for the vacant IBO light-heavyweight title in May. The 31-year-old is still rebuilding after his crushing defeat to Anthony Yarde in December 2021, but he is determined to get back into world title contention as part of a bustling British light-heavyweight scene.