The tale of the first encounter between Paddy Donovan and Lewis Crocker was filled with controversy.
The battle of Ireland had a lot on the line, with a shot at the IBF welterweight awaiting the winner. Tensions were high, it was North versus South, and those who have visited Ireland will know exactly what that means.
There was a fiery atmosphere at Belfast’s SSE Arena back in March when Donovan first took on Crocker. The noise was deafening, and things started to heat up when the home crowd’s man Crocker started to get taken apart by Donovan.
Limerick’s Donovan wasn’t fazed by the fiery Belfast crowd and started to increase the beating he put down on Crocker but was warned consistently about the use of his head. He was deducted points by the referee Marcus McDonnell for headbutting Crocker in Round 6 and deducted a further point in Round 8 for an elbow.
Crocker was in a bad way in the eighth. One of his eyes was severely damaged and he had been down late in the round. As the session was about to end Donovan came in for the kill, the bell sounded to signal the end of the round, but Donovan threw a hook a couple seconds later, which floored Crocker.
McDonnell had seen enough and disqualified Donovan for his actions.
Now with the rematch set back in Belfast this Saturday - but this time at the much bigger Windsor Park - Donovan was asked by BoxingScene if he needs to be careful about the use of his head again.
“If Lewis holds his head back, it might not happen,” Donovan replied. “But look, it is what it is. It's a fight, it's not like we're going to church holding hands, this is a combat sport, it's war. You know, we put our lives on the line, nothing's intentional, obviously the head clashes happen in the fight.
“But, Marcus McDonnell made a bigger job than he should have out of the head clashes, I think. They're all accidental but yeah, look, it is what it is, set it up for a bigger fight and a bigger night, so yeah, bring it on.”
After the contest, Donovan and his trainer Andy Lee were very vocal about their frustration and anger towards referee McDonnell’s decision.
So, six months later, what are Donovan’s feelings towards McDonnell and his decision?
“Look, I forgive Marcus McDonnell, mistakes can happen,” Donovan said. “We're human, we can make mistakes, we just move on, that's it. Marcus McDonnell is probably a very, very good person, just made a mistake, he made a mistake on the night, I'm not going to hold no begrudges or any badness towards any person.
“A lot of people say because he backed Lewis, he was English or whatever, I don't believe any of that nonsense. He just thought he did what was right, but I honestly don't think he was right, and a lot of people thought the same thing. But I've got no begrudges against anybody and we just move forward, that's life, just keep going.”
Without McDonnell’s decision to disqualify Donovan, that some say was correct, some don’t, but without it the fight would not be the must watch attraction it is now.
“Yeah, look, it's panned out perfectly, if you said to me a few days after the fight, ‘Paddy, you’re fighting Lewis Crocker in Belfast for the vacant IBF world championship, would you take that?’ I'd snap your hands off,” said Donovan. “So yeah, look, we're here and I feel like this is my time.
“I've worked very, very hard. I've suffered and I've enjoyed some great times as a boxer, but I think this is my hour to become world champion.”
Tom Ivers is an amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. He had his first bout in 2013, joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
