Paddy Donovan Sends Emphatic Message to Lewis Crocker After Karen Chukhadzhian Win

Paddy Donovan knows exactly who he wants next after rebounding from a pair of losses to Lewis Crocker with a massive win over Karen Chukhadzhian.

Donovan and Chukhadzhian faced off in an IBF welterweight title eliminator, with the winner becoming the mandatory title challenger for the winner of Crocker's upcoming title defense against Liam Paro on June 24. Immediately after beating Chukhadzhian, Donovan called out Crocker in the ring, campaigning for a trilogy bout at Croke Park at the end of the year.

"Hey Lewis, guess who's back, baby?" Donovan said, via Matchroom Boxing. "Let's get that trilogy. Come on! Listen, give the fans what they want. Lewis Crocker vs. Paddy Donovan, the trilogy. Croke Park. Let's go!"

Paddy Donovan has a message for Lewis Crocker 🤳

First things first, June 24 down under 👑 pic.twitter.com/8SurD0irqz
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 15, 2026

Donovan is officially 0-2 against Crocker, losing by controversial disqualification in March 2025 before getting upset via split decision in the rematch six months later. Crocker scored two knockdowns en route to beating Donovan in Belfast to win the vacant IBF 147-pound title.

The back-to-back losses were a difficult pill for Donovan to swallow and halted all the momentum he had built up to that point in his career. However, many believe he was well on his way to beating Crocker before the disqualification in their first fight, giving some intrigue to a trilogy fight despite the head-to-head record being 2-0 in favor of the champion.

After being written off by many following his losses to Crocker, Donovan displayed immense improvement in his win over Chukhadzhian, who has twice gone 12 rounds with Jaron 'Boots' Ennis in the last three years. Donovan's footwork and defense were much better than the skills he showed in his loss to Crocker eight months prior.

Paddy Donovan awaits Lewis Crocker vs. Liam Paro winner

Whether Crocker wants the trilogy or not, that matchup awaits him for his second title defense if he can get past Paro. The 30-year-old Paro was the IBF welterweight champion in 2024 but was unable to defend it before losing it in a split decision to Richardson Hitchins.

Crocker, 22-0, still lacks the mainstream respect that champions typically earn coming off his second win over Donovan. The 29-year-old is the only welterweight champion excluded from Ring Magazine's top-10 rankings in the 147-pound division.

Crocker still has a ways to go to reach the level of the other divisional champions, but a win over Paro would give him consecutive victories over top-level welterweights. Paro is currently lined as the slight favorite to dethrone Crocker and regain the title in his home country.

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