Lewis Crocker won his first world title today in Belfast, claiming the vacant IBF welterweight title with another controversial win against Paddy Donovan.
This fight had no disqualification, but Crocker’s split decision victory will be heavily debated. Even though the Belfast native scored knockdowns in the third and fifth rounds, it seemed as though Donovan (14-2, 11 KO) pretty clearly got the better of the fight in a round-by-round sense otherwise.
One judge saw it that way, scoring the bout 115-111
for Donovan, which would be nine rounds in Donovan’s favor. The other judges had it 114-112 and 114-113 for Crocker (22-0, 11 KO).
Bad Left Hook unofficially scored the bout 115-111 for Donovan.
“Nobody gave me a chance in this fight, nobody,” Crocker said. “I thought that I was picking my shots well … I thought I was landing the more hurtful shots. … I think I boxed a great fight and showed people that I can box. … But big respect to Paddy. I’ve always said that Paddy’s a great fighter, and he’ll be back.”
Crocker has a next opponent in mind for a big fight, and it’s Conor Benn, who is currently slated to face Chris Eubank Jr in a middleweight rematch in November.
“I think a massive fight for the UK fans is Conor Benn,” he said. “I have big respect for Conor Benn, I think he’s an incredible fighter. It’d be super entertaining for the fans. From the fans point of view, it’s a mega-fight for the UK.”
Eddie Hearn was diplomatic about the outcome of the fight, remembering that he still promotes both men. “Everybody had it all over the place,” he said of the scoring. Hearn mentioned Ryan Garcia, Rolly Romero, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez as potential Crocker opponents along with Benn.
How did you score the fight?
