DONOVAN: HE'LL GET CARELESS AND WALK ONTO A SHOT - HIS LIGHTS WILL GO OUT
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 26 Feb 2025
'The Real Deal' predicts stoppage win against Crocker in
all-Irish blockbuster
Paddy Donovan says he will secure a dream shot at the IBF Welterweight World Title by spectacularly knocking out Lewis Crocker in front of his home support in Saturday's blockbuster all-Irish showdown at the SSE Arena Belfast - shown live worldwide on DAZN.
The undefeated Limerick talent (14-0, 11 KOs) has been labelled as 'the boxer' by many pundits and fans heading into one of the biggest fights Ireland has seen in years, but 'The Real Deal' says he will give 'puncher' Crocker a taste of his own medicine by delivering the knockout blow.
“The Irish boxing scene has been starved for many years, especially down south," said Donovan. "My goal is now to lead the way and lift the sport to another level. I believe I’m the fighter and the face of Irish boxing. I’m the person to do it. This is one of the best fights ever in Ireland.
“There’s more on the line than there ever has been before. This is the fight that the Irish fans demanded. It’s the pride of Ireland, who steps up into the limelight. Who gets the throne, puts their hand on the crown.
"I’m the better boxer. More skilful, punches just as hard. I’ve 80% knockout ratio and he’s 50%. Anyone that has shared the ring with me knows exactly how hard I punch. Maybe Lewis is underestimating my power, but he’ll soon find out.
“I’m the boxer. Too slick. Too skilful. Too good. I win this fight by knockout. I believe I knock him out with a well-timed punch. It’ll be to the body or to the head. I think he’ll get careless, and he’ll walk onto a shot. I believe his lights will go out. I’ll turn them out."
Donovan's gym mate Joseph Parker secured a stunning second-round knockout win over late stand-in Martin Bakole over the weekend on the huge Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch in Saudi Arabia, and the 26-year-old southpaw is out to make it two big wins in a row for former WBO Middleweight World Champion Andy Lee on Saturday.
"I'm surrounded by some of the best people in the world; Andy Lee, Joseph Parker and my father. This is a winning team and we come from a winning mentality. I’ve visualised it so many times. I’ve dreamt about it so many times. I’ve lived the fight so many times in my head. I can’t see Lewis beating me on the night. I don’t know how he is approaching this fight, to come in and fight or slug it out – I’m not sure. I just don’t see how he can beat me. I think I have the assets to beat him.
“It’s the best fight, one of the best fights ever in Ireland. It puts us in the best position to fight for the IBF World Championship. There’s no other route that was more exciting or more potentially bigger than this. Being an Irish clash, being here in Ireland, it just had the ring of being something special."
Crocker vs. Donovan tops an unmissable night of action in Belfast, former World Title challenger Craig Richards (18-4-1, 11 KOs) takes on Belfast's Padraig McCrory (19-1, 9 KOs) over ten rounds at Light-Heavyweight, Lisburn's Kurt Walker (11-0, 2 KOs) clashes with Leicester's Leon Woodstock (16-3, 7 KOs) over ten rounds at Featherweight, Northern Irish Cruiserweights Tommy McCarthy (21-6, 10 KOs) and Steven Ward (14-3, 4 KOs) collide over ten rounds, Belfast's Ruadhan Farrell (6-1-1, 2 KOs) and Ballycastle's Gerard Hughes (5-0-1) rematch over eight rounds at Super-Bantamweight, Clonmel Lightweight Shauna Browne (5-0, 3 KOs) fights Turkey's Eif Nur Turhan (9-0, 5 KOs) over ten rounds, Belfast Super-Bantamweight Jack O'Neill (3-0, 1 KO) faces York's Mohammed Wako (1-2) over four rounds and Coventry's heavy-handed ,Middleweight Aaron Bowen kicks off the Before The Bell action in a six rounder with Argentina's Juan Cruz Cacheiro (7-3, 3 KOs).
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