Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan primed for brutal Belfast world title eliminator

Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan go head-to-head at Belfast's SSE Arena tonight in a bout that is being billed as a final eliminator for the IBF World Welterweight title.

So whoever comes out on top of this all-Ireland encounter, there should be a world-title decider coming to these shores in the not-so-distant future.

The winner will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF crown, which is currently held by Jaron 'Boots' Ennis.

The champion is looking to unify the division in April against WBA belt holder Eimantas Stanionis, so there will be a lot of negotiations ahead, however, Crocker or Donovan should secure a world title shot at some stage, most likely within the next 12 months.

Promoter Eddie Hearn is planning for either scenario, whether he looks towards another Belfast world champion to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Cacace, Carl Frampton and Ryan Burnett, or travels south along the Shannon to see Donovan mirror Andy Lee’s feat of winning the world crown.

Either way, tonight’s fight continues the recent revival of the Irish professional men’s scene, since the crowning of Cacace as IBF super featherweight champion, having long played second fiddle to the Katie Taylor-dominated women's boxing world.

Others are approaching world level, including Aaron McKenna, Callum Walsh and Pierce O’Leary, which augurs well for the sport on the island, however, all eyes will be on this Belfast bout in what looks set to be an intriguing battle of styles of two unbeaten fighters.

Crocker has been in the paid ranks since 2017, enjoys a flawless record of 20 wins, and was crowned European champion back in 2020, however, his career stalled when he did not fight in 2022 before making his way back up the ladder in the division.

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