Latest news with #PaddyDonovan
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Windsor Park in play for Crocker-Donovan rematch
Windsor Park, Northern Ireland's National Football Stadium, remains in contention to host boxing's rematch between Lewis Crocker and Paddy 20 September is the tentative date with background talks ongoing between the promoter, Irish Football Association and Northern Ireland's Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, to turn the stadium into a boxing arena for the first time since Carl Frampton defeated Luke Jackson in August is understood there is a desire on all sides to make this a reality, but it will be determined by the bottom line and that is to ensure the show can deliver financially.A meeting is scheduled on Thursday with Lyons and later in the month with the Irish FA, who are keen to host the understood that a crowd of circa 16,000 would be required to break even, with the first fight between the pair at Belfast's SSE Arena in March drawing in that occasion, Limerick's Donovan fell to his first career defeat against Belfast's Crocker by way of disqualification, despite dominating the contest, which was billed as a final eliminator for Jaron 'Boots' Ennis' IBF welterweight title. The US-based sanctioning body ordered a rematch between the pair in May, having somewhat sided with the Donovan's team's protest their man - despite having points deducted in rounds six and eight - was harshly treated when finally thrown out bey referee Marcus McDonnell for persistent fouls, culminating with heavy blows landed after the bell in round nine. Their desire to have the initial fight ruled as a no-contest was not way, there has been a desire on all sides to run it back, and that is certainly set to happen, but the where and when is still to be the aftermath of their first meeting, Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport's boss and promoter of both fighters, indicated an interest in moving the rematch outdoors, but that came with the caveat of it making financial is, of course, precedent for the NI Executive to bolster an outdoor megafight, as in September 2013, it rowed in behind Carl Frampton's IBF super-bantamweight title win over Kiko Martinez with a purpose-built, 16,000 stadium erected at Titanic night bolstered the local economy by millions and although this event is not on such a scale, it would prove a huge shot in the it is uncertain whether Ennis will vacate his title and step up to light-middleweight by autumn, the winner could be set with the task of taking on the American for a portion of the title from one of boxing's marquee divisions or indeed, win the vacant strap.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Windsor Park unlikely to stage Crocker-Donovan 2
The rematch between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan now looks unlikely to take place at Belfast's Windsor Park with the city's SSE Arena set to be the venue, promoter Eddie Hearn has fighter Donovan was ahead on the judges' scorecards in the IBF world welterweight title eliminator in March when he was disqualified for hitting Belfastman Crocker after the bell sounded for the end of the eighth joint-managers Andy Lee and Keith Sullivan officially appealed for their fighter to be granted a rematch and the IBF upheld the boss Eddie Hearn made clear his desire that rematch would take place at the home of Northern Ireland's football team which was officially renamed the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park earlier this month following the agreement of an eight-year sponsorship Hearn now accepts that the prospects of the contest taking place at the outdoor venue are fading with the fighters set to duel once more at the SSE Arena."There's now a very good chance it won't be at Windsor. ... we will probably now do it at the [SSE] Arena," he told The promoter added that the return bout is likely to take place in "late August or maybe early September". '20,000 a huge amount of tickets' Hearn said that the fight would have to generate ticket sales in excess of 20,000 to make the outdoor option viable."The issue with going outside is, with the costs and everything, you've got to be doing more than 20,000 tickets to make the delta positive of doing it in an arena with 9,000. That's a huge amount of tickets."Would it do 15 or 16,000? Probably. And don't get me wrong, I love an outdoor show. But there's also a lot to be said about going into an absolutely packed out arena."Crocker's victory on 1 March maintained extend his career winning streak to an unblemished 21 victories as Donovan suffered his fight defeat in 15 fights.
