'you Witnessed A Kid Who Changed His Life Tonight'

Lewis Crocker strutted into nan biggest nighttime of his life pinch a spot connected his shoulder.

For six months, he had stewed connected his first brushwood pinch Paddy Donovan. Amid nan brouhaha that followed a chaotic nighttime wrong Belfast's SSE Arena, it was easy to hide that Crocker had won.

Only it didn't consciousness for illustration it. Sub-par connected nan night, Crocker was outfought by nan all-action Limerick southpaw, but still near pinch a 'W' adjacent to his sanction aft Donovan was disqualified for landing a rustle aft nan doorbell astatine nan extremity of nan eighth round.

When nan inevitable rematch was confirmed, Donovan was installed arsenic nan favourite. It did not flight Crocker's notice.

And so, wrong seconds of becoming Belfast's latest world champion via a divided determination triumph astatine a raucous Windsor Park connected Saturday night, Crocker was keen to get his constituent crossed erstwhile a DAZN microphone was thrust nether his chin.

"Nobody gave maine a chance successful this fight, nobody," said nan caller IBF welterweight champion.

"But I want to opportunity each nan group who gave maine instrumentality aft nan past fight, erstwhile you constitute your station tomorrow make judge you constitute 'Lewis Crocker world champion!'"

Later, successful nan calmer surroundings of his post-fight property conference, Crocker added: "Paddy's a awesome fighter. I saw articles successful nan build-up saying he could beryllium nan top Irish combatant of each time.

"That's really overmuch group were building this feline up, and cipher was giving maine a chance, truthful it was bully to beryllium group wrong."

Winning a world title is each fighter's dream, but Crocker was afforded nan opportunity of breaking done to go nan latest prima of nan welterweight section connected location turf, successful a stadium that is simply a specified five-minute stroll from his house.

And successful seizing nan biggest chance of his life, he follows successful Carl Frampton's footsteps by triumphing connected a uncommon nighttime of title boxing astatine Northern Ireland's nationalist stadium.

"You conscionable witnessed a kid who changed his life tonight," 28-year-old Crocker told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"There are monolithic opportunities going forward. And I person nan pleasance of having Carl Frampton ringside, I was present astatine his conflict [against Luke Jackson successful 2018] and to bring large nights backmost to Belfast is everything I've ever dreamed of."

Crocker trim a stoic fig successful nan build-up each week, mostly sidestepping nan enticement to make expansive proclamations and whip up nan hype until Friday's weigh-in erstwhile he vowed to sound Donovan out.

It did not rather cookware retired that way, but dissimilar their first meeting, Crocker nailed his gameplan and produced 2 of nan bout's astir thunderous punches to sound his force down successful nan 3rd and 5th rounds.

With nan stakes drastically higher than their March encounter, it was a mostly cagey affair, but Crocker remained disciplined and economical throughout, refusing to fto Donovan build up nan caput of steam that came truthful readily to nan 26-year-old six months ago.

For nan location fighter, embracing his underdog position and staying low-key successful nan build-up facilitated a much relaxed, controlled performance.

"I was being diligent and making him miss and I'd make him salary eventually," added Crocker.

"Billy [Nelson, his trainer] wanted maine to prime up nan gait a bit, but I could spot that he was waiting for maine to clip and erstwhile he missed I was capable to counter.

"There was thing location tonight, he ne'er buzzed aliases maine anything. I felt comfortable, I was blocking shots good and was making him salary erstwhile he missed.

"If it wasn't nan extremity of nan information successful nan 2nd knockdown, I would person went retired location and vanished him. But large respect to Paddy, he's a phenomenal fighter, I hit a world-class fighter."

After a stellar inferior amateur career, Crocker turned master successful 2017. Three years later, he stopped England's Louis Greene successful nan seventh information to triumph nan WBO European welterweight title successful Wakefield.

Two successful defences of that loop followed earlier attracting much attraction pinch a ascendant triumph complete Tyrone McKenna - who hit Dylan Moran connected Saturday's Windsor Park measure - successful December 2023.

"I'm conscionable getting started successful my career, and a convey you to Eddie [Hearn, Matchroom boss] it took that Tyrone McKenna conflict to alteration my life to get immoderate publicity.

"Here I am. World champion astatine Windsor Park. The champion nighttime of my life."

The large question, naturally, centres connected Crocker's adjacent step. In nan ring, he was speedy to telephone retired Conor Benn, who has not fought since losing to Chris Eubank Jr successful April.

"I conscionable think, domestically, it's a immense conflict pinch awesome styles.

"It's going to beryllium entertaining from nan get-go. Benn's a value fighter. People ever mention his sanction but I ever thought location was nary constituent successful saying thing because I didn't person a bargaining chip, why would he conflict me, but I'm world champion now."

Hearn, too, was keen to insert immoderate illustrious names into Crocker's orbit, including two-weight world champion Devin Haney, WBA kingpin Rolando Romero and WBO loop holder Teofimo Lopez.

"They've ne'er had a nighttime for illustration that successful Belfast pinch those benignant of names coming to Belfast," said Hearn.

"But pinch Lewis and Conor being portion of nan Matchroom team, it's an easy conflict to make. We had 1 much guidelines [in nan stadium] coming and you'd surely do that for a Conor Benn conflict and if we did it astatine nan O2, he [Crocker] would half capable it up pinch you batch anyway."

Whatever Crocker does next, he will tackle his adjacent situation pinch a agelong sought aft portion of hardware astir his waist - and pinch nan euphoria of having captured it successful his ain backyard still caller successful his memory.