Paddy Donovan doesn’t think Lewis Crocker wants to fight

Paddy Donovan doesn’t think Lewis Crocker will want to share the ring with him later this year.

It’s understood the Andy Lee-trained stylist has agreed in principle to fight the Belfast banger, provided Crocker comes through an interesting fight with Connah Walker next week.

There has been feint rumour of a deal being done for a December showdown, with Belfast said to be lined up to host one of the biggest all-Irish fight in recent history.

However, Donovan points out Conlan Boxing’s Crocker first has to come through Walker in Birmingham on June 22 and then wonders if the Sandyrow fighter would agree to fight.

“Whoever wins it will not want to fight me,” said ‘The Real Deal’.

“The two of them are good fighters. It’s a tough fight for Crocker – Walker is a very good, solid fighter, a seasoned fighter and he’s in his home patch. So it’s a tough fight for Crocker – it’s tough for Walker too because Crocker is a great fighter.

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“Them boys will slug it out but none of them will want this smoke on the next round, believe me.”

Donovan would prefer a clash with Crocker because of just how big it would be in Ireland, but understands Walker, especially if he defeats the Belfast man, would be a huge fight.

Either way, he says he’ll be ready, willing, and waiting.

“They have a job to do, they have to battle it out and ‘The Real Deal’ will be waiting on the other side,” he said.

The Matchroom fighter registered a fifth successive step-up knockout win in Leeds last month, living up to his end of the bargin by stopping, former British champion Lewis Ritson.

Commenting on that win he said: “There was a lot of questions for me to answer after my last performance but you couldn’t ask for a better performance overall.

“I boxed until I wanted to pick it up and then I picked it up and got the job done. It was a very professional ways of doing things and I’m delighted with the performance – it was a world class performance.

“My ranking should be up there with the best fighters in the world so I’m ready to go again whenever. I’m coming for all the 147lb fighters and I’m ready to take on the world and that’s why I’m in the sport of boxing to put the best fights together and to prove I’m one of the best fighters on the planet,” he added before sharing his fight in Limerick ambitions.

“Ireland needs a new boxing star and I believe I’m the next star coming through in the land. We want to bring big-time boxing to Limerick City and that’s the plan.”