Irish amateur star Jim Donovan Right back in ring after pro debut
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 10 Oct 2025
Oct. 18 in Letterkenny, Ireland
NEW YORK (October 9, 2025) – Irish middleweight Jim Donovan (1-0) returns to the ring October 18, fighting on the “Rumble In The Hills” card at Aura Complex in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland, just five weeks after his professional debut.
Donovan is scheduled to fight Bartlomiej Wlodarczyk (2-5, 1 KO), of Poland, in a 4-round bout. “Rumble In The Hills,” which will be streamed live on Triller TV.
On September 13th in Belfast, 21-year-old Donovan scored a unanimous decision over veteran Lukasz Barabasez on the Crocker vs. Donovan 2 card, in which his cousin Paddy Donovan lost a disputed, heartbreaking decision to Lewis Crocker for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) Welterweight World title.
Jim Donovan, a 5’ 10½” southpaw, was a distinguished Irish amateur boxer with an outstanding 160-7 record, including 10 Irish National Championships, and prestigious medals from the 2018 European Boxing Championship Schoolboys and 2022 IBA World Youth Championships.
His pro debut, however, was delayed for a variety of reasons -- three fights fell out – and he didn’t fight from his last amateur match on February 19, 2023 until this past Sept. 13 at a sold-out Windsor Park with 20,000 hostile fans.
“Everything was the same other than the atmosphere in the arena, ring walk and the large crowd,” Donovan compared amateur to pro boxing. “In the ring it was the same, just me and my opponent. I like keeping active and fighting only five weeks later. It’ll help build my record and help me move up.”
“My strategy for a young fighter like Jim who is talented, hungry and deeply dedicated, is to keep them busy,” explained New York City-based Keith Sullivan, who co-manages Jim with Lee. “I have high expectations for Jim. Every young fighter wants to get to the top, to reach the promised land of a world title bout, but few have the talent or drive to stick it out through the grueling days along the journey. I believe Jim is unique in that he has what it takes to persevere down that road. Fighting in Ireland is a great opportunity for him to showcase his professional talents.”
Donovan had an impressive win and celebrated with family and friends immediately after his fight, which lasted until his cousin's main event ended in controversy once again.
“Everything Paddy worked on since I was six and he was ten I watched, from all of his Irish National Championships, winning European awards, up to him turning pro,” Jim explained. “Paddy was the better man that night, unfortunately, he lost. His mind is clear and he’s in good form. What upset him the most was having that fight taken from him, especially after their first fight. He will have more big fights coming.”
Jim says nothing has really changed, training wise, from preparation for his pro debut and his upcoming fight.
“In my debut,” he noted, “I fought a different lad than I was supposed to, and he had a different style of fighting (than his original opponent). That was the difference, so I had to make the adjustments from my training.
“I came out low, not high, in my pro debut and got caught with some shots. I need to be better at executing, but I’m happy about my performance. Andy (his head trainer, former world champion Andy Lee) told me to stand and fight in the fourth round. It was a good experience.”
As far as his Oct. 18th fight, Donovan is thrilled to be fighting at home in the Republic of Ireland, and he expects strong support as well as to turn in an entertaining, victorious performance to continue boxing’s maturation process to develop his skills.
“I’ve watched some film of my opponent and have been training to make the necessary adjustments and meet the challenge,” Donovan commented. “It’s going to be a great night!”
Tickets may be purchased directly from Jim, promoter James Quigley or online at www.eventbrite.com (Rumble On The Hills: Rising Stars”).
“I’m absolutely delighted to have Jim Donovan on the ‘Rumble In The Hills’ card,” Quigley added. “I have trained with Jim many years under Andy as a team and it’s great now to be working with them on my October 18th card. Jim has phenomenal talent that he showed during his amateur career. He has transitioned into professional boxing very well coming off his pro debut on the Crocker-Donovan 2 undercard on a big stage and platform live on the DAZN. He is a very exciting fighter. It’s a pleasure to have him on the card and he brings a lot of class to this event.”
INFORMATION:
Facebook: /JimDonovan
Instagram: @jimdonovan.boxer_
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