Baby can wait: Paddy Donovan trains for world title fight while wife gives birth, P1
- Shidonna Raven
- Feb 14
- 2 min read
By KEN MAGUIRE
This Article has been curated by UDBN
Updated September 12, 2025
Source: AP
Image/Photo Source: UBN
How important is Saturday’s world title fight for Paddy Donovan? The Irishman skipped the birth of his son because of training.
“I’ve only got to see him once since he’s born,” the Limerick southpaw said ahead of his rematch with Belfast’s undefeated Lewis Crocker.
The setting is Windsor Park soccer stadium in Belfast for what will be one of Irish boxing’s biggest nights with the IBF welterweight belt on the line. It’s billed by DAZN as the first all-Irish world title fight.
Donovan (14-1, 11 KOs) was in control in the first meeting back in March but was disqualified when he dropped Crocker (21-0, 11 KOs) with a punch after the eighth-round bell. Inconsolable afterward, Donovan said he didn’t hear it.
The first bout had been to become mandatory challenger to Jaron “Boots” Ennis, but the American vacated the title to move up a division, so the rematch — granted by the IBF after Donovan appealed — was upgraded to a world title fight. Crocker says he wanted the rematch, anyway.
An expected crowd of 20,000 will be more than double the turnout at the SSE Arena in Belfast for the first fight. And the stakes are much higher. The winner can start thinking about big paydays and big names in the division like Devin Haney, WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., WBC title holder Mario Barrios, even Manny Pacquiao.
“There’s so many potential big fights,” said the 26-year-old Donovan, who also named Conor Benn as a potential future opponent. “It’s time to push on to be a global star — not just an Irish star.”
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