When Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan first fought in March, it was an elimination bout for a shot at the IBF welterweight belt then held by Jaron “Boots” Ennis. And so the uproar over how the fight ended was even louder given what that result meant.
Donovan was dominating Crocker, but he was also having issues with the referee, who docked him a pair of points for clashes of heads he ruled as intentional fouls. And then came the ending in the eighth round. Donovan landed a big shot after the bell that dropped Crocker hard. The referee, who was out of position and never stepped in to stop the action, ruled it an intentional foul and disqualified Donovan.
The IBF mandated a rematch. Ennis has since vacated his belt and departed for 154lbs. That means the winner of Crocker-Donovan II will be the new IBF welterweight titleholder.
Here’s what else you need to know:
When is Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan II?
Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan II is on Saturday, September 13. The main broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m BST).
A preliminary undercard will start at 11:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. BST).
What channel is Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan II on?
Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan II will stream on DAZN.
Where is Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan II?
The fight is taking place at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Who is Lewis Crocker?
Lewis Crocker, by virtue of that disqualification, remains undefeated at 21-0 (11 KOs). The 28-year-old from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is ranked first by the IBF.
Crocker turned pro in 2017. His biggest wins en route to facing Donovan were unanimous decisions over a pair of domestic-level foes: the 23-3-1 Tyrone McKenna in 2023 and the 13-2-1 Conah Walker in 2024.
He’s had six months to work on what went wrong against Donovan the first time around in hopes of winning in a different manner in this rematch.
“It was the worst that I fought and just happened to be on the biggest occasion,” Crocker recently told BoxingScene’s Tris Dixon. “So a lot of changes have to be made, and I need to be a much better fighter next time around. […] We know what each other’s about now as well. “Well, I know I’ll be better. Paddy was a good fighter on the night, so I know what to prepare for.”
Who is Paddy Donovan?
Paddy Donovan, 14-1 (11 KOs), is a 26-year-old from Limerick, Ireland. He is ranked third by the IBF; the second spot is vacant.
Donovan entered the paid ranks in 2019. Before facing Crocker, he notched five consecutive stoppage victories, including wins over the 15-2 Williams Andres Herrera and the 23-3 Lewis Ritson.
Disqualification aside, Donovan is confident that he can repeat his performance against Crocker.
“I’m looking forward to getting the job done against Lewis Crocker,” Donovan told BoxingScene’s Tom Ivers. “Every fight is different; it’s a contact sport. But I can’t deny the fact that if I was to pick a guy for a world title right now in the welterweight division, if I had a chance to pick Lewis Crocker and he was in the mix, I’d pick him first to fight. I think I’ve got the read on Lewis.”
What awaits the winner of Lewis Crocker-Paddy Donovan II?
There is no mandatory challenger awaiting the victor; the IBF is strict about holding elimination bouts between available ranked contenders, though the sanctioning body is regularly criticized for which available ranked contenders are allowed that opportunity and ultimately get a title shot (see Michael Eifert beating Jean Pascal at light heavyweight and Huseyin Cinkara topping Armend Xhoxhaj at cruiserweight).
The next names in the IBF rankings are, in order: Ricardo Salas Rodriguez (No. 4), Raul Curiel, Karen Chukhazhian, Liam Paro, David Papot, Alexis Rocha, Rohan Polanco, Nicklaus Flaz, Jack Catterall, Vadim Musaev, Tulani Mbenge and Ekow Essuman.
As for the other world titleholders: Mario Barrios barely held on to the WBC belt with a draw against the 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao in July; Brian Norman Jnr will defend his WBO belt against Devin Haney on November 22; and Rolando Romero was upgraded from secondary to primary WBA titleholder despite his sole victory at 147lbs coming against Ryan Garcia.
What other fights are on the undercard of Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan II?
The undercard includes a junior middleweight fight between Caoimhin Agyarko, 17-0 (7 KOs), and Ishmael Davis, 13-2 (6 KOs); a welterweight bout between Tyrone McKenna, 24-6-1 (7 KOs), and Dylan Moran, 19-3 (9 KOs); the continued development of 2024 Olympian turned cruiserweight prospect Pat Brown, 3-0 (3 KOs); and the pro boxing debut of mixed martial artist Molly McCann.
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
