Andy Lee Insists Donovan Is Bound for Greatness, Not Just the IBF Belt

Andy Lee believes Irish boxing is about to witness a watershed moment when his fighter Paddy Donovan fights Lewis Crocker for the right to be crowned world champion.

The Limerick southpaw’s trainer has been vocal in his belief that Donovan was destined for the top from the very beginning of their partnership — and now, with the biggest fight of his career just around the corner, he insists the 26-year-old is ready to deliver in Windsor Park this Saturday.

The former middleweight world champion is very confident ‘The Real Deal’ will win the rematch, claim the IBF welterweight world title, and make history by having his hand raised in the first all-Irish world title fight.

Although he is equally sure that the success won’t end there. Lee says a world title isn’t the ceiling for his fellow Treaty County man.

“What a moment for Irish boxing,” Lee said when speaking to The Ring. “Days like these don’t come around very often.

“When we started this journey together in 2019 I could see it then — how far this guy Paddy Donovan could go.

“He’s got the ability to not just win this world title, but to defend it multiple times and put his name among those superstars of the division.”

Lee was among the first to publicly back Donovan as a future world champion, even before the Limerick man had established himself on the professional scene. His confidence, he recalls, was initially met with skepticism.

“I said this at the first press conference before the first fight and nobody believed me, people laughed. But this is a guy that’s going to go on and on and on through the levels of boxing and will go down as one of the best fighters in Irish history. This is just the start for him.

“This is the crowning of a new Irish world champion — there are only a handful of them from this island. You can count them on two hands and he’s going to be the next one.”