TRAINER Billy Nelson believes that Lewis Crocker will secure a vacant title shot should he overcome fellow unbeaten contender Paddy Donovan this Saturday.
The pair are gearing up for their all-Irish dustup at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with the winner putting himself in pole position to challenge for world honours.
More than anything, their eagerly anticipated encounter should make for a compelling clash of styles, treating fans to a classic bull vs matador spectacle.
At the same time, though, both combatants have been presented with a golden opportunity to become the mandatory challenger for IBF titlist Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
While it is not a final eliminator, the winner of this weekend’s battle will nonetheless climb further up the rankings and, in turn, leverage their position to demand a shot at Ennis’ belt.
‘Boots,’ meanwhile, is diligently preparing for his unification bout against WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis on April 12.
But with there being a strong possibility of him moving up to super-welterweight after his next assignment, the American’s red and gold strap could quite easily become vacant.
And while Crocker, 20-0 (11 KOs), must first get past a stern test against Donovan, 14-0 (11 KOs), his head coach, Nelson, equally acknowledges that the 28-year-old’s first world title shot could arrive before long.
“[Crocker would] give Jaron Ennis a good fight,” Nelson told Boxing News. “Ennis is an exceptionally good fighter with a lot of experience, but I believe he’ll step up to 154lbs and Lewis will fight for a vacant title.”
Should Ennis choose to relinquish his IBF title, the winner of this weekend’s contest is then likely to square off against number three-ranked contender Jin Sasaki for the vacant belt.
But regardless of whatever comes next, both Crocker and Donovan will undoubtedly be remaining focused on the task at hand.
