Padraig McCrory and Craig Richards clash could be headed to Belfast
Jan 20, 2025 • 10:04 AM ET
A light heavyweight fight between Padraig McCrory and Craig Richards is on tap for Matchroom's Paddy Donovan-Lewis Crocker bill in Belfast on March 1.
Promoter Eddie Hearn indicated last week that McCrory would box on the card against a fighter from the UK, and a source has told BoxingScene that an announcement could happen this week, but that Richards - at something of a crossroads in his career - has yet to put to pen to paper.
Richards, 34 years old and trained by Shane McGuigan, lost to Willy Hutchinson in a minor June upset via decision and is now 18-4-1 (11 KOs). That defeat, which was part of the Queensberry vs. Matchroom event in Saudi Arabia, came after a February victory over Boris Crighton. The other losses came to Joshua Buatsi, Dmitry Bivol and Frank Buglioni in competitive 12-round affairs.
Belfast’s 36-year-old McCrory is 19-1 (9 KOs) and, having lost to Edgar Berlanga last February, defeated Leonard Carrillo in November.
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, a BWAA award winner, 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.
