FOR both Paddy Donovan and Andy Lee, there is no room for complacency ahead of a fiercely-anticipated rematch with Lewis Crocker.
Their first encounter, which took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, back in March, saw the home fighter emerge with a disqualification victory.
Prior to that highly controversial eighth-round finish, though, Donovan, 14-1 (11 KOs), had produced a scintillating performance which, in turn, made for a largely one-sided welterweight affair.
The 26-year-old was then docked two points for excessive use of his head, before getting himself disqualified from the contest after dropping Crocker, 21-0 (11 KOs), with a thudding right hook.
As it happened, the shot had arrived just moments after the bell, meaning that Donovan was ultimately confronted with a bitter end to his otherwise impressive display.
The IBF then ordered an immediate rematch to their elimination bout, citing crowd noise as the reason for Donovan’s infringement.
And while the Limerick man, initially, may have been reluctant to re-enter the lion’s den, he has since been presented with an added incentive to do exactly that.
With Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis announcing his move up to 154lbs, it has now been confirmed that Donovan and Crocker will collide for the vacant IBF world title.
Not only that, but their sizable showdown is expected to headline a Matchroom Boxing show at Windsor Park, with Crocker once again claiming a home advantage.
As for an official announcement, former world middleweight champion and esteemed trainer Lee, who occupies Donovan’s corner, expects to discover a date, either in September or October, in the next week or so.
But regardless of that, the Irish head coach acknowledges that Crocker, even when considering how their first fight unfolded, represents a formidable opponent.
“[Crocker’s] going to be dangerous, because he’s got all the motivation in the world to come out and do better [this time around],” Lee told Boxing News.
“But for Paddy, his motivation is to show a different side to his style, and bring something else to the fight.
“It’s a world title fight, so he cannot afford to be complacent. He has to be very focused because this guy [Crocker] can still punch, and we’re still in the away corner.
“If it was just a straight rematch, then [Donovan] might have been complacent. But the fact that it’s a world title fight should take him to a whole new level.”
