BELFAST – The talk about Paddy Donovan’s skills and talents, many that have yet to be exhibited on the biggest stage, has Billy Nelson bristling.

The Scottish trainer will stand in the corner opposite of Donovan on Saturday night at the SSE in Belfast, Northern Ireland, telling his fighter, Lewis Crocker, how to become the first man to beat the talented Limerick southpaw.

Nelson doesn’t just believe Crocker is the bigger puncher – a claim disputed by Donovan and his team – and the better boxer, but he also said Crocker has facets to his game that he hasn’t shown yet, either. 

“What makes you think that’s not the case with Lewis Crocker?” charged Nelson.

“[Donovan]’s an exceptional boxer, but one million per cent, my boxer Lewis Crocker punches much, much harder than Paddy Donovan. There’s no dispute. Can [Donovan] show it on the big stage? He’s never fought in front of 9,000. You tell me who Paddy Donovan’s fought to justify being No. 6 in the world. Lewis Ritson [Donovan’s most noteworthy win, a nine-round stoppage last May] is a super-close friend of mine, but he wouldn’t do five rounds with Lewis Crocker.

“Let’s get things into perspective: Paddy tried to give Lewis a hard time for fighting Jose Felix, who beat Gary Cully. Knocked him out. Technically, Felix was a light welterweight. [Crocker] destroyed him in five rounds. Dropped him with a body shot, knocked him out with a left hook. Battered him from pillar to post. Paddy Donovan fought an ex-charge of mine who’s a lightweight, Ritson, and took nine rounds to stop him and stopped him on his feet. Where was that power? Where’s the power if he’s got this ferocious punch behind him?”

There is no denying, however, that the fight has generated a formidable buzz in Belfast, and that is something Nelson has seen. With that in mind, he could see Crocker and Donovan meeting again in the future.

“When Crocker goes on to fight for a world title and wins it, one or two defenses down the road, why not have a rematch here for a world title?” asked Nelson. “In an ideal world, [IBF titleholder Jaron] ‘Boots’ Ennis would have vacated [by then], because I think he’s a 154 fighter naturally, and this could have been for the world title. How good could that have been for this city? For this island? We win this fight, win the world title, I wouldn’t be against giving Paddy a second shot.” 

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.