Anthony Crolla lost his WBA lightweight title to Jorge Linares after an exhausting fight at Manchester Arena.

Crolla, 29, was making the third safeguard of the title he won from Colombia's Darleys Perez last November.

After a moderate begin Crolla seemed to have discovered his reach by the center rounds, in spite of the fact that the challenger arrived with the more attractive punches.

Be that as it may, the Venezuelan's prevalent abilities bested Crolla's steady weight and he was granted a consistent choice.

Two judges thought the battle was close, granting it 115-114 and 115-113 to Linares, while the third judge had the challenger winning 117-111.

Linares instantly offered Crolla a rematch, while the Manchester boxer's promoter left the group in little uncertainty that the two men would do it once more.