Lewis Crocker was keen on the idea of a unification bout with Devin Haney.
Matchroom Boxing was more interested in Crocker, an unbeaten native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, entering a rematch with Conah Walker.
Neither of those fights will be next for the IBF welterweight titlist.
BoxingScene has confirmed that the IBF is set to order Crocker, 22-0 (11 KOs), to next face mandatory challenger Liam Paro. A ruling made on Thursday denied an exception request filed by Matchroom Boxing seeking to stage a Crocker-Walker rematch this spring as a voluntary defense, in lieu of his upcoming mandatory.
“On January 2, 2026, IBF received a letter from [Matchroom] on behalf of Champion Lewis Crocker to participate in an optional defense … on April 18 or April 25 in Belfast,” IBF Daryl Peoples stated in a ruling obtained by BoxingScene. “The proposed April dates are thirty-six (36) and forty-three (43) days, respectively, past the champion’s March 13 mandatory due date.
“On January 7, 2026, the IBF received a letter from [No Limit Boxing’s] Matt Rose on behalf of Liam Paro opposing the granting of the exception. [Also on] January 7, the IBF Directors participated in a video conference to determine whether Mr. Crocker’s exception request should be granted or denied. … [T]he majority of the directors determined that Lewis Crocker’s exception should be denied.”
Fight Freaks Unite’s Dan Rafael was the first to report the development.
Crocker won the vacant title in a September 13 rematch win over Limerick’s Paddy Donovan. The bout came six months after their controversial first meeting, when Donovan was disqualified for landing a knockout punch just after the bell to end the eighth round.
Donovan, 14-2 (12 KOs), fought on relatively even terms with Crocker in their second act, only for a pair of suffered knockdowns to prove the difference on the cards. The 26-year-old southpaw Donovan was down in the third and fifth rounds, which left him just short in the eyes of two of the three judges in a September 13 split decision defeat in Belfast.
Prior to their two-fight set, Crocker edged Wolverhampton, England’s Walker, 17-3-1 (8 KOs), via 10-round unanimous decision in their June 2024 meeting in Birmingham, England.
Ironically, Crocker has Donovan to thank for being stuck in his current predicament.
Donovan was previously ordered by the IBF to next face Paro in a title eliminator to determine the next mandatory challenger for Crocker. The two were due to meet on the January 16 Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa card in Brisbane, Australia.
As previously reported by BoxingScene, Donovan withdrew from the fight on New Year’s Eve after contracting the flu, which shut down his training camp for three weeks.
Given the timing, the IBF moved forward with naming Paro, 27-1 (16 KOs), the next mandatory in lieu of ordering another elimination contest. Paro was already the No. 2 contender after a 12-round win over unbeaten David Papot last September 18 in Tennyson, Australia. The win was his second in a row after he suffered his lone career defeat, a December 2024 points loss to Richardson Hitchins, which ended his IBF 140lbs title reign.
Strangely, both Crocker and Haney both expressed interest in a two-belt welterweight unification clash. Haney, 33-0 (15 KOs), claimed the WBO 147lbs strap in a 12-round unanimous decision win over Brian Norman Jnr last November 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Crocker recently told Ring Magazine that a Haney fight was of interest, given that “I’m willing to fight the biggest names. I’m not scared.”
Haney was equally on board, though more cognizant of the politics that would prevent such a fight. The unbeaten Oakland-born, Las Vegas-based three-division titlist Haney was previously signed to Matchroom Boxing but has since noted the several verbal shots that promoter Eddie Hearn has taken at him through the media.
“I like this guy,” Haney said of Crocker’s willingness to take on all comers. “Eddie doesn’t want this for you, mate.”
The unfortunate part is that Crocker and Matchroom would have had a better shot at being granted an exception had they pushed for the unification clash with Haney rather than a random voluntary defense. Sanctioning bodies tend to favor such bouts in these situations.
Instead, Crocker can now expect a notice of next steps from the IBF, come January 13.
“The IBF will order Lewis Crocker to begin negotiations with Liam Paro for a Mandatory defense of the IBF welterweight title,” noted Peoples. “Approximately sixty (60) days prior to the mandatory due date, pursuant to Rule 5.C.”
