You reap what you sow was the message Lewis Crocker had for Paddy Donovan after their entrhalling encounter on Saturday night.
The home fighter says he would have expected to be disqualified if he broke the rules in the consistent manner his rival did on top of the Point of Pride bill.
The Belfast side of what has grown into one of the biggest rivalries in Irish boxing history believes he had his hand raised and earned an IBF world title fight because he fought a ‘fair fight’.
Donovan was thrown out for hitting after the bell to end the seventh round, suffering the ultimate punishment for his third infringement of the fight.
The DQ, which came as he was pressing for a stoppage, left the Limerick southpaw heartbroken and his team insensed. However, ‘The Croc’ argues the fighter has only himself to blame.
The Sandyrow native also claims what he argues was foul play was the reason he was behind in the fight.
1 March 2025
Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Lewis Crocker Ring Walk
The Billy Nelson-trained welterweight says his left eye was closed due to elbows and use of the head. Interesting, the big punching Belfast man made no mention of a rematch.
Speaking online Crocker said:
“First of all I just want to thank everybody who came out last night and supported me. The atmosphere was surreal. It’s just a shame how the fight ended as I said last night that’s not how I wanted to win.
“However that was completely out of my hands. I followed the rules, I fought a fair fight and had plenty left in me as we were looking to pick it up in the later rounds. I was hit constantly with headbutts and elbows resulting in my left eye to completely shut and was cut above the right eye which made it virtually hard to see anything and needed stitches in 3 places after. Paddy was deducted points TWICE for constant headbutts and then clearly after the bell hit me flush on the closed eye and was ultimately disqualified as I would have expected to been if that was me.
“Again that’s not how I wanted to fight to end, but at the end of the day rules are rules. People can have their opinions but I was severely disadvantaged with my eye because of the illegal blows and after taking the 8 count came back swinging on my shield straight after, only for the round to end shorty after and get hit after the bell.”
