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Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan: Pride of Ireland on the rematch line

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There is an ancient Gaelic saying that goes

On March 1, Lewis Crocker’s careers from Belfast and Limerick Paddy Donovan Donovan turned the dramatic when the couple met in a completely Irish clash in Belfast.

The atmosphere was pulsating. Having more than bragging about the laws between the North and the South on the line and two families fighting to head to head, the winner was to go to the competition for the title of world champion, and left the loser in the desert in the welterweight.

Donovan controlled the fight, but he was managed by two points for using the head and elbow. The left eye of the Crocker was swollen and his vision was restricted at best.

In round 8, Donovan received the knocking he felt. Although he is barely able to see, Crocker got up. He will not allow this proud fighting family – or his hometown – down.

Donovan came out swaying and caught his opponent on his right hand. This time Crocker was not created, and Donovan left, waiting for the count and certainly believed that it was over.

A man from the republic apparently wins in the north. The crowd exploded.

At that moment, many had the feeling that the last blow was tardy. The bell called. It was certainly marginal. Donovan says he didn’t hear it, but judge Marcus McDonnell did and said that it was an illegal hit. Donovan disqualified.

The confusion prevailed, but as the realization was aware, Donovan was uncomfortable. He walked around the ring, protesting furiously when his team tried to placid him down.

Crocker was on the stool, his eyes were forced closed, the oxygen mask pressed his face. Slaughter.

The controversy has filled the series of messages for many days. Drama, disbelief. The opinion has been divided. But there was one thing that everyone agreed to: the rematch was necessary.


“Have you heard the bell?”

Donovan’s team spoke to IBF, which awarded the rematch. This time when Jaron Ennis leaves the full champion, it will be for the world title IBF. When discussing the first fight, Crocker claims that it took him only a few days to go from a difficult test.

It was a different story for Donovan.

“It is not uncomplicated to get a fight. It is not really a fight, these are the consequences … coming out of the ring, emotions and seeing different reactions of the crowd,” Donovan told reporters.

“This part of my journey does not really happen to many warriors. You either win the fair or lose the fair. Either you win, you are eliminated, or you knock someone, and just go.

The fight caused a huge noise throughout Ireland. Donovan could barely leave his house without asking him. Constant reminders that he could do without:

“Be sincere, have you heard the bell?”

“When is the rematch?”

It’s time to go back to work.

“For me it is in the past. I spent some time with my family and turned off. I stayed at home most of the time. When I prepared for regrouping, I returned to the gym,” he says.

From the return, all his focus was directed on September 13. So much, Donovan left the birth of his son William – named after the deceased uncle – during the camp. He saw him only once.

Helping him through all this is coach Andy Lee; The last world champion in the Republic. Lee is currently one of the best trainers in the industry and someone who Donovan knew since he was a juvenile boy.

“Irish man training an Irish man to become a world champion, you don’t see him every day,” says Donovan.

“He always told me that I would become a world champion. Be his first [world champion] A fighter … I think it would be a great thing to give Andy. “


“I feel neglected, but it’s fine.”

On the other side of the Crocker coin he won the fight, but felt that he had never received recognition for it. People put a star on his CV. Does he feel neglected?

“Yes, definitely yes, but that’s good. I’ve never been in this position before, so I feel that I will surprise many people at night,” says Crocker.

He knows that he would not be able to go further until he settled once and for all. There were so many unanswered questions. The 28-year-old insists that he had a free night in the first fight and will have to be significantly improved to go through Donovan for the second time.

“To defeat Paddy, I have to be better under every aspect. Paddy would be the best warrior I fought. I need a performance of my life 13” – admits Crocker.

Crocker lives a five -minute walk from Windsor Park, the scenery of the rematch, and a huge group from the south is to cross the border to support Donovan.

However, this develops, expect more twists and turns when their paths pass again.

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Floyd Mayweather Sr. had only one man in mind when he mentioned the strongest boxer in boxing history

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Floyd Mayweather Sr had only one man in mind when naming the hardest puncher in boxing history

Floyd Mayweather Sr. had only one name in mind when asked who he thought was the greatest boxer in boxing history.

Mayweather Sr., after more than 50 years in the sport, is well-equipped to answer this question. He made his professional debut in 1974 and took part in 35 competitions, including a fight with the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard.

Mayweather Sr. is perhaps best known for his training career, as he trained his son Floyd Jr to numerous world titles and also spent stints in the corner for the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

In recent years, Mayweather Sr. has shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics from the world of boxing, as well in the restored cliprevealed that he thinks Earnie Shavers is the hardest hitter in the history of the sport.

“Earnie shavers! [Asked, not Mike Tyson?] Earnie Shavers!”

This is a view shared by many other fighters, and it’s effortless to see why – 70 of Shavers’ 76 claimed wins have been by knockout, 23 of them in the first round.

Although he unsuccessfully challenged for the world heavyweight title twice, he demonstrated his immense strength in both of those fights, knocking down Muhammad Ali in the second round of their 1977 fight and defeating Larry Holmes in the seventh round of their 1979 battle.

Shavers sadly passed away in September 2022 at the age of 78 after a low illness, but it is clear that boxing fans will forever remember him as one of the most powerful men to ever grace the sport.

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Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury scheduled for October–November after the July 25 fight

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Image: Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury Date Clash Emerges Between Hearn, Warren

Hearn and Warren’s conflicting schedules mean the British heavyweight clash is not fully finalized

Click here to watch Benavidez vs. Zurdo and Inoue vs. Nakatini LIVE!

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are expected to fight later this year, but the date remains uncertain even though both camps claim to have reached an agreement. The fight depends on whether Joshua makes it to his fight, which will take place on July 25 in Riyad against Kristian Prenga.

Fury returned earlier this month with a decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov, his first victory since 2023, and immediately called for Joshua, who was watching from ringside. From that moment on, the desire to fight intensified again.

Joshua is still scheduled to return to action in July after a break following a fatal car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. He confirmed that he will continue his career and that his next target will be Fury, provided he manages to get a summer fight.

This first step is now ready. Joshua will face Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyad, with both sides claiming a deal with Fury will be concluded later. Eddie Hearn has identified November as his target.

“We’ll be back in July against Kristian Prengi and then, if all goes well, we’ll fight Tyson Fury in November. Everything has been signed on our end and ready to go. Fury said he’s signed the contract too, so there’s no point in denying it, in the end we’re going to fight without a doubt the biggest fight in the history of British boxing,” Hearn told Punch Podcast.

For Fury’s side, Frank Warren provided another window on when the fight would happen.

“It’s signed. Tyson signed up for it a few months ago and we were waiting for AJ and he already did it. So the fight will continue and it looks like it will take place sometime in October,” Warren said on talkSport Boxing.

The difference between October and November is compact on paper, but it usually means that the details are not yet fully settled. Fury’s dates, location and schedule still need to be finalized before anything can truly be wrapped up.

The fight goes on under a certain condition. Joshua has to get through July first. Until that happens, everything else is still being discussed.

Last update: 2026/05/01 at 2:41

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Manny Pacquiao Names One Fighter He Would Like to Face: ‘They Protected Him from Me’

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Manny Pacquiao names one fighter he wishes he faced: “They preserved him from me”

Manny Pacquiao has faced plenty of top-flight stars over the course of his three-decade-long career, but there is one fighter the Filipino star still regrets not being able to fight.

“Pac Man” competed in famed fights with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Juan Manuel Marquez and remains in the sport to this day, hoping to break his own record as the oldest welterweight world champion in boxing history.

However, before the veteran can continue this mission, he is scheduled to fight a rematch with Mayweather in September – however, it is unclear whether it will be a professional or exhibition space.

The 47-year-old icon said, reflecting on his 73-fight career Vibration that he still regrets not having had the opportunity to hand Terence Crawford his first defeat before “Bud” retired with a 42-0 record.

“The Crawford fight. Because Bob Arum kept it. I’m covered by top-tier promotions and he’s been covered by top-tier promotions before, so I would love to fight him. But it never happened. Bob didn’t give it to me.”

Pacquiao and Crawford have been linked to the fight multiple times, and intriguingly, when the Omaha cameraman was asked the same question, he stated that he had been “chasing this fight for years” and regretted that it didn’t happen.

If he remains interested, Pacquiao has shared his desire to fight anyone while he is dynamic in the sport, including Crawford.

“As long as I stay dynamic in boxing, I will never do it [duck] whoever is in line. Whoever I face, I will face.”

Crawford doesn’t seem interested in returning to the ring despite the allure of a lucrative rematch with Canelo Alvarez, while Pacquiao appears to be absent in 2026 due to Mayweather’s defeat.

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