‘I’m beating his ass since I was 15’ – Paddy Donovan fires back at Michael Conlan
Paddy Donovan has accused Michael Conlan of sour grapes, suggesting the Olympic medal winner’s cheeky Lewis Crocker comments have roots in the fact the Limerick man used to beat the two-time world title challenger up in sparring.
Speaking after ‘The Real Deal’ took another step up the welterweight ladder by defeating Lewis Ritson in Leeds last weekend, Conlan congratulated the former underage amateur standout on his performance but managed to sneak in a cheeky jibe.
The Belfast favourite said the Andy Lee-trained southpaw wouldn’t be able to do what he did to the Sandman to Crocker if they were to fight.
“Good performance from Paddy Donovan tonight but it will be a different fight against a big welterweight who punches like a mule,” Conlan who managed ‘The Croc’ alongside his brother said.
“Lewis Crocker will do his part of the deal next month. Crocker v Donovan will be a cracker, Belfast this year.”
The Matchroom 25-year-old didn’t take too kindly to the comments and responded.
Donovan says Conlan is just smarting because he was too good for him in sparring and has gotten the better of spars between the pair since he was just 15 years old.
"It will be a different fight against a big welterweight who punches like a mule."https://t.co/hILlyacujo@lewiscrocker1 @mickconlan11 @PaddyDonovan23 @MatchroomBoxing @EddieHearn
— Irish-Boxing.com (@Irishboxingcom) May 28, 2024
“Michael can’t talk. [I’m] beating his ass since I’m 15 years old. He should have look at himself before he judges me,” Donovan said online.
Donovan also questioned Conlan’s punch resistance and suggested he should retire.
“Don’t you forget Lewis last fight was against 130-135 fighter. Anytime you fought anyone in your weight class you got punched by a mule. We will see who is the best, best of luck to Lewis Crocker.”
Ironically, the younger of the two Conlain Boxing brothers has long since been a vocal advocate of Donovan and has been hyping up the Munster fighter since his underage amateur days.
As Crocker’s manager, he’ll welcome the response as it feeds into their plans to make the fight for Belfast later in the year. A bit of tension between the camps will only make it more attractive to DAZN and Matchroom.
Donovan and Crocker have been linked since they both shared the same fight card in Belfast in January. Matchroom haven’t mentioned it with the same vigour in recent weeks, but Jamie Conlan told Irish-boxing.com it’s THE fight to make and now his younger brother Michael Conlan is hinting it will happen this year.
Crocker would first have to come through Connah Walker in Birmingham next month, something Conlan Boxing are confident he will do.
“Testament to the big fight that it is, it’s not just a big fight in Ireland, it’s a big fight in world boxing and fight that could be built for something bigger,” Jamie Conlan said before selling the storyline and narrative of what would be one of the most eagerly anticipated all Irish fights ever.
“Paddy Donovan has always had the pedigree from the amateurs, coming through to sign with Andy Lee. He’s had the glitz and glamour that’s come with that. Croc has had a cult following in Belfast for his knockouts from since he was a young kid. He flattened everyone in the early stage of his career and then went through a rough patch with injuries and time out of the ring his rebuild has been fantastic and testament to his mentality, moving away to Billy Nelson and with what he has done in the last two years.
“This is a massive fight, hopefully it can be made before the end of the year.”
