Lewis Crocker Says He’ll Show Real Deal Paddy Donovan What a ‘Real Fighter’ Can Do
Paddy Donovan is a ‘Pretty Boy’ who won’t have the stomach for the ugliness Lewis Crocker will bring to the ring claims the Belfast side of the proposed all-Ireland fight.
The pair have been strongly linked throughout 2024 with both expressing a willingness to trade leather.
Indeed it’s understood the boxers have agreed terms and Matchroom hope to pit them against each other on top of a March 1 SSE Arena card.
If, as expected, they meet – potentially in a world title eliminator- Crocker is adamant he will win.
‘The Croc’ believes he trumps ‘The Real Deal’ in the experience, power, and guts departments.
The Billy Nelson-trained Sandyrow power puncher’s confidence is bolstered from the Limerick southpaw’s performance against Lewis Ritson.
Crocker feels ‘The Sandman’, despite being stopped, had some success against the Andy Lee-trained talent – and says if a lightweight can ask questions of Donovan, the southpaw won’t have the answers for a fully-fledged power punching light welter.
The former Holly Trinity amateur also suggests Donovan’s confidence will drain once they face off.
āI think he (Donovan) will be ballsy-enough now but when it comes to head-to-head itāll be a different story,” he tells the Irish News.
“Whatās he had? 14 fights. I remember when I had 14 fights – the difference in me now and the experience Iāve learned since thenā¦
āThere was way more pressure on me against Tyrone McKenna than thereāll be against Donovan. McKenna was Belfast v Belfast! This is the first big fight that heās been in so Iām looking forward to seeing how he reacts to it.
āI think heās a bit of a pretty boy.
āLewis Ritson was giving him problems in his last fight and he was moving up from lightweight. If heās doing that then Iād fancy myself big time.
āHeās never had any adversity at all in fights. For the first time heās fighting a proper fighter and for the first time he knows that heās not going to stop his opponent.
āIn every other fight heās had heās gone in feeling comfortable that heāll get the stoppage but thereās no chance heāll stop me. Iām tougher than him, Iāve got more heart, I punch harder and heāll find out a lot about himself.”
The Munster boxer has agreed to go to Belfast to fight but post Crocker’s victory over Conah Walker, Donovan, who gets out in England next week, called for Eddie Hearn to promote the clash in Limerick, Dublin or New York, something the Conlan Boxing managed boxer believes is a sign of weakness.
āIād have fought this guy anywhere,ā said Crocker.
āHe was talking about the fight being in Limerick but heās in no position to call any shots ā heāll fight where Eddie Hearn tells him to fight.
āIād fight him in his back garden, I donāt care. I think it showed weakness in him to try and call where the fight show be ā Iāll fight him anywhere.ā
āThe most heās gone in his career is eight rounds and Iāve headlined and been 10 rounds three times. Iāve had to deal with stuff that he hasnāt.ā
