Irish pride and two unbeaten records are on the line when Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan clash in a mouthwatering welterweight matchup in Belfast.
There is the added carrot of this fight: being a final eliminator for the IBF welterweight title currently held by Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
American star Ennis faces WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis in Atlantic City on April 12, and the IBF’s famously stringent approach to its mandatories being fulfilled means Crocker and Donovan are within touching distance of a massive championship showdown.
WATCH: Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan on DAZN
“I’ve always said Paddy is good, he’s the next superstar, and I’m only British level in his eyes, I feel that all the pressure is on him, he should be talking me out in one or two rounds if that’s the case, but I’m here to upset the party,” said Crocker (20-0), who has won 11 of his 20 fights inside the distance.
“We’ve prepared for everything, we’re as good as we’re ever going to be so I’m looking forward to a scrap on Saturday.”
The Andy Lee-trained Donovan, whose 14-0 record shows 11 stoppages, is the favourite and likely to face a hostile reception from the crowd in Crocker’s home city.
“It’s boxing, it doesn’t matter about the crowd, when Lewis and I are in there it goes silent, I’ll be tuned in on Lewis and that’s my main goal,” he said.
Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan undercard
Here’s a breakdown of all the action on the Crocker vs. Donovan card.
Craig Richards vs. Padraig McCrory.
- Division/Weight: Light Heavyweight
- Crocker record: 18-4-1
- Donovan record: 19-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
The co-feature will see Craig Richards vs. Padraig McCrory.
Richards (18-4-1) dropped a competitive unanimous decision to the now undisputed light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol in May 2021, but that fight began a run of three losses and two victories over the course of his past five contests. A defeat to Willy Hutchinson last time out followed a similar 12-round reverse against Joshua Buatsi.
This is McCrory’s (19-1) second fight up at light heavyweight since he was knocked out in six rounds by Edgar Berlanga in February last year, the Puerto Rican’s final fight before his unsuccessful tilt at Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Kurt Walker vs. Leon Woodstock
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Walker record: 11-0
- Woodstock record: 16-3
- Belts at stake: N/A
Former European amateur champion Walker (11-0) continues his professional journey. It’s the 29-year-old’s first action for eleven months since he claimed just a second stoppage in the paid ranks against James Beech Jr.
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Woodstock (16-3) has regrouped with four successive wins against lower-ranked opposition since successive losses to Zelfa Barrett and future world champion Anthony Cacace, the latter in a challenge for the British super featherweight title.
Tommy McCarthy vs. Steven Ward
- Division/Weight: Cruiserweight
- McCarthy record: 21-6
- Ward record:14-3
- Belts at stake: N/A
All-action Irish cruiserweight McCarthy (21-6) got back in the win column against journeyman Ryan Labourn in Belfast last time out following successive stoppage losses to then-European champion Michal Cieslak and Cheavon Clarke.
Ward (14-3) will be keen to see how much is left of a fighter who would surely have had too much for him at the time of his back-to-back battles with Chris Billam-Smith in 2021 and 2022. Ward has lost three of his past five, with two of those by knockout.
Ruadhan Farrell vs. Gerard Hughes
- Division/Weight: Super Bantamweight
- Farrell record: 6-1-1
- Hughes record: 5-0-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
This is a rematch of a December 2023 six-rounder that was scored a draw by referee Hugh Russell at the same Odyssey Arena.
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Farrell (6-1-1) has since contested a double-header with Connor Kerr, prevailing each time on the cards. Hughes’ (5-0-1) only bout in the interim period came against 107-fight veteran Luke Fash almost a year ago.
Shauna Browne vs. Elif Nur Turhan
- Division/Weight: Lightweight
- Browne record: 5-0
- Turhan record: 9-0
- Belts at stake: N/A
The winner of this one will become mandatory to WBC champion Caroline Dubois. Browne (5-0) has won three of her five pro bouts inside the distance but needed a split decision to get past Taylah Gentzen in January.
Turkey’s Turhan (9-0) has 5 KOs on her record and is promising fireworks.
Jack O’Neill vs. Mohammed Wako
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- O’Neill record: 3-0
- Wako record: 1-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
Having feasted on journeymen during the first six months of his pro career, O’Neill (3-0) takes on an opponent of comparable freshness.
Wako (1-2), the English-based Ethiopian, has mixed with live opponents over the past year and presents a different challenge to former amateur champion O’Neill, whose family is steeped in boxing history. His father was a seven-time Irish champion, and his grandfather also fought professionally.
Aaron Bowen vs. Juan Cruz Cacheiro
- Division/Weight: Super Middleweight
- Bowen record: 4-0
- Cacheiro record: 7-3
- Belts at stake: N/A
Big-punching English middleweight prospect Bowen (4-0) is back in action after flirting with disaster in his previous fight. The Commonwealth Games bronze medalist was floored by James Todd in the second round of a scheduled six in Birmingham before responding with a sixth-round KO.
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Bowen would be advised to tighten up his front-foot style against Argentine Chacheiro (7-3), who tipped the scales at a whopping 171.3 lbs on Friday.
Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan tune-in info
- Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025
- Location: Odyssey Arena – Belfast, UK
- Time: 5 p.m. GMT | 12 p.m. ET | 9 a.m. PT
- Main event start time (approx.): 10 p.m. GMT | 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT
- Live stream: DAZN
The Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan fight card will be available via DAZN. A DAZN monthly subscription costs £9.99 in the UK on a 12-month contract, or £19.99 month-to-month. An annual subscription will cost £99.99 in the U.K.
A DAZN monthly subscription is $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month in the US. An annual subscription costs $224.99.
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