‘I Was in Trouble’ – Lewis Crocker Says ‘Luck’ Won’t Play Apart in the Rematch
Lewis Crocker has admitted he felt fortunate to escape with victory in his first meeting with Paddy Donovan – but insists that’s exactly why he wanted the rematch.
The Belfast welterweight scored a dramatic come-from-behind win when he stopped Donovan late last year, but the result divided opinion. Donovan had put Crocker down, closed his eye, and looked to be heading toward a breakthrough victory before the stoppage twist.
Speaking on Matchroom’s Cards on the Table, Crocker openly conceded that he believed luck played its part in the outcome.
“I did, yeah. Because at that time my eye was shut. You had put me down. I was in trouble,” Crocker told Donovan.
“So when I knew what happened, I did. I’m not going to say I didn’t feel lucky because it did, I was losing the fight. But that’s why it was so important for me to want the rematch because that’s not the way the fight should have ended on my behalf so I had to make it right.”
The first meeting was billed as a genuine clash of styles between two unbeaten emerging Irish talents. Crocker brought the power while Donovan was more renowned for technical flair. Many expected the battle to be decided by which fighter could impose his game plan for long enough to break the other.
In the end, the Limerick side of the rivalary was able to show he has power to go with his panache, while the victor from Belfast didn’t hit top form.
That twist in the tale has left The Croc chasing redemption despite securing the win- and also facing into a rematch where he knows opinion has him as an underdog.
“I would say 90% of people probably wouldn’t give me a chance in this fight,” he admitted. “The last fight was seen to the general public as a 50-50 fight, but not this time. So, yeah, I’m a massive underdog.”
