Lewis Crocker claimed a remarkable and controversial upset victory over his rival Paddy Donovan to win the IBF welterweight title via split decision at Windsor Park.
Donovan, hailing from Limerick in the south, and Crocker, boxing in his home city of Belfast, made history as the first Irishmen to contest a world title against one another.
The bout was a rematch of their febrile first encounter, which Donovan dominated but suffered a disqualification defeat after being docked points for headbutts and flooring Crocker after the bell in round eight.
It meant Crocker entered the ring to boisterous support but as a huge underdog. He threatened to turn that status on its head as he boxed, coiled and defensively, off the back foot and decked Donovan with a pair of left hooks.
The first was a flash knockdown, but the second, at the end of round five, had the favourite rattled. But Donovan regrouped under the assured guidance of Andy Lee and boxed impressively thereafter.
He appeared to have done enough to win on the cards despite the early turbulence. One judge saw it that way, awarding Donovan a 115-111 verdict. But 114-112 and 114-113 margins, with the knockdowns decisive for Crocker, sent the 20,000 sold-out crowd into raptures.
MORE: Leave the fighting to Crocker and Donovan: Belfast the perfect place for historic Irish boxing night
Matchroom Boxing/Mark Robinson
After predictably raucous ringwalks for both fighters, a hush fell during a suffocatingly pensive first round. Crocker abandoned the perilous come-forward tactics from the first fight and waited for the counter-punch.
A nice left to the mid-section from Donovan before the bell was the only action of note. The intention from Crocker was to deny Donovan the rhythm he craves, but it initially left him devoid of offensive threat.
This was enough to persuade Donovan to close the distance inside the final minute of round two, landing a one-two upstairs but shipping a counter on his next assault. Stunningly, Crocker's tactics came up trumps in round three when Donovan came over his front foot and was decked by a cuffing counter left hook.
Crocker tried to repeat the trick in four as both men landed and wobbled simultaneously with crunching left hooks. The Belfast man had his left hook working and broke into a wry smile as he landed another.
Lewis Crocker DROPS Paddy Donovan AGAIN!! 😱🤯#CrockerDonovan2 | Live NOW on DAZN pic.twitter.com/E9Ikdsf9Y2
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 13, 2025
Donovan was beginning to flow off his nicely varied southpaw jab in the fifth before another sensation in the closing stages of what had been a comfortable fifth. The Limerick fighter switched off and Crocker detonated a huge left hook. The bell came before the action could resume, but Donovan looked heavy-legged.
Uneventful middle rounds drifted Donovan's way, although Crocker brought his previously sheathed right hand into play in the seventh. At the end of those three minutes, the concerned visitor asked trainer Andy Lee, "Am I winning?" He appeared to be, thanks to smart footwork and left jabs, but it demonstrated confidence rocked by both Crocker's surprising approach and concussive lead hooks.
That honeypunch came out again inside the final minute of round nine, but Donovan negated the impact and continued to score off the jab and followed up with a crisp left to the temple. An uppercut from that wing to the midsection seemed to sap Crocker in the 10th, when the leather started to fly a little more freely.
That pace ultimately suited Donovan, who worked through the repertoire with his head clear in the last. Crocker responded with a solid right down the pipe, but he couldn't shift his man this time. The times he did in rounds three and five proved decisive, and this verdict will be talked about for some time. Maybe for a couple of years until we get a trilogy.
The crowning moment for @lewiscrocker1 👑#CrockerDonovan2 pic.twitter.com/k7TDgDGSt1
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 13, 2025
Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan full card results
- Paddy Donovan def. Lewis Crocker (SD 12) to win the vacant for the IBF welterweight title
- Caoimhin Agyarko def. Ishmael Davis (SD 12); Super Welterweights
- Tyrone McKenna def. Dylan Moran (6/10 TKO); Welterweights
- Pat Brown def. Austine Nnamdi (TKO 2/8); Cruiserweights
- Molly McCann def. Kate Radomska (PTS 6); Bantamweights
- Matthew Boreland def. Ruadhan Farrell (RTD 6/10) to win the vacant Irish super bantamweight title
- Aaron Bowen def. Carlos Ronner (TKO 2/8); Middleweights
Meatball Molly was landing BIG and Kate Radomska KICKED HER?!?! 😳#CrockerDonovan2 | Live NOW on DAZN pic.twitter.com/kwz5JY4NZu
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 13, 2025
Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan tune-in info
- Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025
- Location: Windsor Park - Belfast, UK
- Time: 5 p.m. BST | 12 p.m. ET | 9 a.m. PT
- Main event start time (approx.): 10 p.m. BST | 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT
- Live stream: DAZN
The Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan 2 fight card will be available via DAZN. A DAZN monthly subscription costs £9.99 in the UK on a 12-month contract, or £19.99 month-to-month. An annual subscription will cost £99.99 in the U.K.
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