FILE - A fan waves an Irish flag before a super welterweight boxing match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File)
September 12, 2025 - 4:54 AM
How important is Saturday’s world title fight for Paddy Donovan? The Irishman skipped the birth of his son because of training.
“I’ve only got to see him once since he’s born,” the Limerick southpaw said ahead of his rematch with Belfast’s undefeated Lewis Crocker.
The setting is Windsor Park soccer stadium in Belfast for what will be one of Irish boxing’s biggest nights with the IBF welterweight belt on the line. It’s billed by DAZN as the first all-Irish world title fight.
Donovan (14-1, 11 KOs) was in control in the first meeting back in March but was disqualified when he dropped Crocker (21-0, 11 KOs) with a punch after the eighth-round bell. Inconsolable afterward, Donovan said he didn’t hear it.
The first bout had been to become mandatory challenger to Jaron “Boots” Ennis, but the American vacated the title to move up a division, so the rematch — granted by the IBF after Donovan appealed — was upgraded to a world title fight. Crocker says he wanted the rematch, anyway.
An expected crowd of 20,000 will be more than double the turnout at the SSE Arena in Belfast for the first fight. And the stakes are much higher. The winner can start thinking about big paydays and big names in the division like Devin Haney, WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., WBC title holder Mario Barrios, even Manny Pacquiao.
“There’s so many potential big fights,” said the 26-year-old Donovan, who also named Conor Benn as a potential future opponent. “It’s time to push on to be a global star — not just an Irish star."
Belfast’s Crocker ‘proud to represent Ireland’
Despite boasting an undefeated record, the 28-year-old Crocker described himself as “the big underdog.”
“This time around, I need to be better in every aspect, and that’s what I’m going to be,” the Northern Irishman said.
“Windsor Park is only a 5-minute walk from my house," he added. "I used to run past it as a kid. That’s the absolute dream to fight at Windsor in the biggest all-Irish fight for a world title.”
Like former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton before him, Crocker is a Protestant who has plenty of support from Catholic fans in boxing-mad Belfast. Crocker had trained at Holy Trinity boxing club in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood and he was an amateur champion for Ireland.
“Everyone from Northern Ireland, no matter Catholic or Protestant or whatever, you’d always box for Ireland. That’s just the way it always was. I was proud to represent Ireland,” Crocker said.
Donovan confident, humble too
Donovan “oozes the aura of a world champion," said his trainer and co-manager Andy Lee, himself a former WBO middleweight champion and Limerick native.
Donovan has been outspoken about mental health awareness, particularly in the Travellers’ community, of which he is a member. He said the struggles he’s encountered outside the ring allow him to be so confident inside it.
“It’s a place where I can just ... open up to be the person I want to be,” he said. “I’ve been in boxing since the age of 3 so I feel like all of the parts of life's journeys has led me to this part of my life. Probably this is why I have this little flair and confidence.”
Donovan notes that as a kid, he was “quite talented at every single sport” before rattling off handball, soccer, hurling, Gaelic football, rugby, and of course boxing.
“I had coaches coming up to my dad’s door every single day looking for me to play their sports. But my goal was to be a boxer.”
Donovan credits Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor with helping shine a light on fighters from the Republic of Ireland. Donovan fought on both undercards of Taylor's bouts with Chantelle Cameron in Dublin.
“I’m on the brink of becoming a world champion,” he said. “To win this fight from the South, to bring a world title back to Limerick City, first (champion) since Andy Lee, and potentially so many big fights... it’s time to bring some big nights back to Ireland.”
Dad duties await
No matter the outcome, Donovan will get to spend plenty of time afterward with his son, who was born nearly three months ago. He has three daughters, as well.
And his wife?
“She’ll be happy when I get this world title.”
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