It descended into chaos at the SSE Arena on Saturday night as Paddy Donovan was disqualified at the end of the eighth round of his IBF welterweight final eliminator against Lewis Crocker.
Donovan had points deducted in rounds six and eight for use of the elbow and head, but then at the end of the eighth, unloaded a huge shot seconds after the bell which had Crocker out and referee Marcas McDonnell with no option but to throw the Limerick man out.
It sparked a mass brawl in the crowd, with incensed fans clashing, and it took a few minutes for the ugly scenes to die down.
Just what Donovan was thinking is beyond comprehension as seconds earlier he had legitimately dropped Crocker, who was the one looking more likely to suffer the defeat, but a moment of madness would change it all.
“That’s not how I wanted to win a fight,” said Crocker.
“But I heard the bell, dropped my hands and I couldn’t see out of my eye.”
An emotional Donovan said: “I beat Lewis fair and square, but that referee has ripped my dreams from me.”
The ring walks were loud, Donovan walking first to majority boos and then it was Crocker’s turn, the thumping techno providing an air of menace and his supporters were trying to meet the decibel level
The pair came into this fight with perfect records and, although pride was most certainly on the line for this Belfast v Limerick clash, the main prize was to move into a mandatory position to challenge for the IBF welterweight title.
There was a buzz around the city in the lead-up that perhaps hasn’t been seen in many years as this fight ticked so many boxes, and a sold-out arena told its own story.
Crocker spent most of the opening round marching forward with his hands high and tight, with his elbows tucked with southpaw Donovan looking for separation to let his fast hands go and its was the Limerick man who was the busier.
Paddy Donovan lands a punch on Lewis Crocker at the SSE Arena
It began to open up in the second as they both got through with shots on the inside, but Crocker was more economical as he seemed determined not to waste anything by throwing for the sake of it, yet this was allowing Donovan to get into a flow although he was forced to work non-stop.
A cut appeared over Crocker’s right eye in the third, with referee Marcus McDonnell signalling it came from a punch, as it was becoming a gruelling battle as both dug and and traded up close. Donovan seemed to use downstairs as his target with Crocker bringing the uppercut into play, but he would find himself with a huge welt under the left eye by the end of the fourth.
These were visible signs that ‘The Real Deal’ was making a dent – his speed was hugely effective as he was first to land when they were at middle distance.
Donovan had been warned on a couple of occasions for use of the elbow and in the sixth, it was once too many as a point was deducted.
Still, the sense was that Donovan was in the lead on the cards and Crocker needed something to get a bit of momentum to bring his crowd back to life, and a couple of shot shots did that in seven, but Donovan’s use of the head saw him on the end of another scolding and perhaps fortunate bot to lose another point.
His response was to up the pace as he threw in flurries, closing out the round in good style and seemed to be on top in the eighth as he marched forward, but did indeed lose that second point for use of the head and on extremely thin ice.
Again he upped the pace and a shot into the mid-section has Crocker down. The Belfast man rose and threw some wild shots as they heard the bell, but Donovan wasn’t done and, perhaps in an effort to show he was having the final say, threw well after the bell on a vulnerable Crocker who was down and there was no option but to call it.
Just what happens next is hard to say as Crocker moves to 21-0 and Donovan is now stuck with a first loss but, as it stands, it’s the Belfast man moving on to a welterweight title shot, although a rematch may not be out of the question.
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