‘Without a doubt, I knock Paddy Donovan out’ – Lewis Crocker Confident He’ll Silence the Doubters
Lewis Crocker has promised a statement finish when he runs it back with Paddy Donovan in front of nearly 20,000 fans in Belfast this Saturday night.
The Belfast welterweight insists his boyhood dream will come true when he wins at Windsor and becomes IBF world champion.
‘The Croc’ won the pair’s first encounter, but this time he says there will be no questions unanswered after his hand is raised.
With the sequel elevated to an even grander stage – an IBF world title showdown in Belfast’s biggest boxing event in years – the 27-year-old says everything has fallen into place. The scale of the event, the backing of his home city, and the lessons from their first fight all combine to convince him that this weekend will be his night.
“The way things worked out last time, I just feel like the stars have aligned for me this time round,” Crocker said during fight week.
“We’re approaching 20,000 fans here in Belfast – who would have dreamt this to actually happen? So, for me, Saturday cannot come quick enough. I want to thank everyone behind the scenes who has made this happen. It really is a boyhood dream.”
If the first fight felt like a huge occasion, the Holy Trinity graduate says the rematch has gone stratospheric. “The last fight was massive, even before the result happened. So, going into this one, it’s a great stage for both of us, and it’s what you get into boxing for,” he explained.
While Donovan enters the ring a bookie’s favourite, the Belfast man believes he holds the key to a definitive ending. For the Billy Nelson trained boxer, it’s about proving himself as the better fighter and silencing the doubters.
“I just can’t wait to silence all the doubters,” Crocker declared. “I know I am a much better fighter than what I showed last time and on Saturday night, without a doubt, I will show that. I believe, without a doubt, that I knock Paddy Donovan out.”
