A rematch between Irish welterweight boxers Lewis “The Croc” Crocker and Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan is scheduled for Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Windsor Park in Belfast. The bout is for the vacant IBF Welterweight World Title and is the first-ever all-Irish world title fight.
Background on the rematch
The first fight: The controversy from their initial March 1, 2025, fight is the main reason for the rematch.
Donovan was leading on all three judges’ scorecards in the final eliminator for the IBF world title.
He was disqualified at the end of the eighth round for punching Crocker after the bell, following two earlier point deductions.
Road to the title fight: Donovan’s team successfully appealed to the IBF for a rematch. The fight was elevated from a final eliminator to a world title bout after then-champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis vacated his title to move up a weight class
