Paddy Donovan and Lewis Crocker face off in a high stakes rematch this weekend and Tyson Fury is confident he knows who will come out on top.
It was Donovan who took control in the first bout back in March, landing plenty of shots and doing damage to Crocker. However, he was also deducted a point in the early rounds for what the referee deemed to be consistent use of his head.
Crocker’s eye was badly damaged by the eighth round, and as Donovan came in to finish him off at the end of the round after already scoring a knockdown, he landed a big hook after the bell. That was enough for referee Marcus McDonnell to call it a disqualification and announce Crocker as the winner.
The pair go at it again this Saturday at Windsor Park in Belfast in front of a huge crowd, and this time the recently vacated IBF welterweight belt will be on the line, making it the first all-Irish world title fight in the sport’s history.
In a post on his own social media, ‘The Gypsy King’ came out in support of Donovan and predicted a win for the Limerick man.
“[Donovan] is the next welterweight champion of the world.”
Crocker is 28 and has won all 21 of his fights so far, including over the likes of José Félix Jr and Conah Walker, but has plenty of work to do to turn this one around after being thoroughly out-boxed when the pair first met. His team has criticised Donovan, pointing to use of the head, elbow and the shot after the bell, as big factors in the performance.
