Massive brawl breaks out after boxing disqualification over controversial bell punch
The Limerick man knocked Crocker down twice in the eighth round of their final eliminator for the IBF world welterweight title, but was disqualified for punching his opponent after the bell
A massive fight broke out when Paddy Donovan was disqualified in his all-Irish clash with Lewis Crocker after landing a punch post-bell. The Limerick lad dominated the final eliminator for the IBF world welterweight title from the get-go, amidst a fiery atmosphere at the sold-out SSE Arena in Belfast, packed with 8,000 spectators.
Donovan believed he had defeated Crocker after flooring the local fighter for the second time at the end of the eighth round, but referee Marcus McDonnell disqualified the Andy Lee-trained man for hitting Crocker post-bell. The Sandy Row native couldn’t see out of his left eye by the end of the match, while an unscathed Donovan broke down in tears.
However, the fight was awarded to Crocker, taking his record to 21-0, while Donovan’s now stands at 14-1. A huge brawl broke out among numerous spectators as the referee signalled Donovan’s disqualification, who also had two points deducted during the match.
Much speculation surrounded how Donovan would cope with the wild Belfast atmosphere, but his coach Andy Lee said he would thrive in it and he did just that. Donovan was the more active of the two men in the opening round, using his jab effectively, but Crocker did land a nice combination towards the end of it.
Crocker attempted to use his powerful right several times during the second, but struggled to land it as Donovan smiled with the clock ticking down, reports Belfast Live.
A right hook to Crocker’s head in the third round resulted in a cut above his eye, drawing blood. Donovan was cautioned for leading with his head in the fourth round, receiving a final warning from the referee, but he managed to land another solid punch under Crocker’s other eye.
However, ‘The Real Deal’ had a point deducted for leading with his head in the sixth round. Despite another warning from the referee in the seventh, he continued to control the fight, delivering impressive combinations.
He lost another point in the eighth before chaos ensued. Crocker was visibly struggling but managed to stay upright until the bell rang, at which point Donovan hit him.
Post-fight, promoter Eddie Hearn hinted at a possible rematch, with Donovan’s team planning to appeal to the IBF. Nevertheless, Crocker is now the mandatory challenger for the IBF world welterweight title, currently held by American Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
In other fights on the card, Padraig McCrory lost to Craig Richards in a featherweight bout, while Kurt Walker improved his record to 12-0, handing Lyon Woodstock his fourth defeat in the same division. McCrory started strong, winning the early rounds, but the tide turned in Richards’ favour when he landed a body shot in the eighth that McCrory couldn’t recover from.
Meanwhile, Walker claimed a majority decision victory after going ten rounds for the first time in his career. One judge scored it a 95-95 draw, while the other two favoured the Lisburn man, with scores of 97-93 and 96-94.
In an all-Belfast cruiserweight clash, Steven Ward triumphed over his mate Tommy McCarthy after ‘The Mac Attack’ failed to bounce back from a second knockdown in the sixth round. Post-fight, McCarthy announced his retirement from boxing to concentrate on his comedy career.
Another Belfast showdown saw Ruadhan Farrell finally secure a win over Gerard Hughes, 15 months after their controversial draw. Referee Eamonn Magill scored the bout 79-73 in Farrell’s favour.
Belfast super-bantamweight Jack O’Neill moved to 4-0 with a 39-36 decision win, despite suffering a severe head cut following a head clash with Mohammed Wako. However, Tipperary lightweight Shauna Browne suffered a crushing first-round knockout loss to Turkey’s Elif Nur Turhan after being hit with a massive left.
The world title eliminator ended after just 47 seconds.
