PADDY Donovan and Lewis Crocker could be set to clash in Belfast on Saturday, March 1. Donovan had called for his long-awaited duel with Belfast’s ‘Croc’ to be held in a neutral venue but unconfirmed reports suggest that he may have relented and the showdown between the two unbeaten Irish welterweights could lock horns at the SSE Arena early next year.
The fight has been in the works since the Irish rivals appeared on the same Ulster Hall bill in January. ‘Real Deal’ Donovan stopped Williams Andres Herrera before Crocker made short work of Jose Felix in the headline act.
Since then, Crocker moved to 20-0 with a hard-fought points win against Conah Walker and Donovan travelled to Leeds and stopped experienced Lewis Ritson.
TOMMY McCarthy came close to hanging up his gloves. Two defeats on-the-trot, both by stoppage… He felt he had reached the end of the road and between his Ulster Hall loss to Cheavon Clarke in January and his family holiday to Lanzarote the big Lenadooner did nothing.
Truth be told, his loss to Clarke felt like game-over for McCarthy but he has been inspired by his long-term friend Anto Cacace’s success and, at 33, should certainly have a few years left in the tank if he wants to use them.
He says he does.
“A few months away and a wee break got my hunger back and when I got back into training I knew I needed to get the head down,” he says.
“I’ve been watching all the fights out in the Middle East – guys I have boxed and sparred with all getting these big fights. And then Anto, everybody knows he’s my good mate from when we were kids, I was training with him in his camp, just training alongside him.
“I told him: ‘I think I’m finished’.
“He says: ‘Tommy, you need to wise-up, look at the money there is to make, all you need is one win and you’re back in the mix. Look at me, look what I’ve done.’”
Cacace was his inspiration and now McCarthy, a former EBU cruiserweight champion who signed to fight for the WBA world title last year before the fight was cancelled, intends to make the most of the years he has left in the fight game.
“I told Mark (Dunlop, his manager) to get me a fight and then this Conlan show came up,” he says.
“I’m in great shape. I’ve trained like I’m getting ready for a last-minute phone call offering me something big.
“Since 2022 that’s the way it has been. All my big fights since the first Chris Billam-Smith fight have been short notice. The European title fight in Poland was four weeks’ notice, Clarke (in January) was five weeks’ notice, the chance to fight for the world title last year was three weeks’ notice…
“That’s the way it has been and I realised it’ll happen again so I want to be in shape for it from now on so I don’t get talk on the hop. When you’re boxing at a high level you need a full camp – five weeks’ isn’t enough to train for world-level boxing so you have to live the lifestyle, you have to be ready to go.
“I’ve been training since the summer, so I’m in good shape.”
KURT Walker faces his biggest test so far – and possibly the defining moment of his career – when he takes on Los Angeles native Rudy Garcia at the SSE Arena on Friday night.
Well-schooled and technically brilliant, Walker is approaching three years’ as a professional and, at 11-0, he has served his apprenticeship and is keen to kick on into the title mix. Victory over ‘El Tiburon’ (the shark) will be a massive step in that direction.
“This is a proper fight,” he says.
“People are going to want to watch it. There’s no guarantee of me winning this one – it’s a 50-50 fight and every fight is going to be like this from now on, so I’m happy with that.
“He has already come over from America so he’s serious and coming to win. I don’t want any more journeymen, I’ve been built well and I think this will bring the best out in me like it did in March.”
That win in March was a career-best against James Beech jr. Walker spent seven weeks’ in camp and looked fitter and stronger so he was able to stand with Beech, hit harder and get him out of there for his first stoppage win since his debut.
“I’m not too sure what sort of fight it’s going to be on Friday,” said Walker (29).
“I’ve been training for all aspects. I’ve improved a lot in my in-close work and I showed it in the last fight, I’m getting better at fighting and I’m able to do a bit more and not use my legs as much so I don’t get tired and I’m able to change it.
“Whatever he brings, I think I’ll be a bit too much for him. Everything is coming together and I feel as if I’m coming into my own – I’m adding a bit of strength now and I’m starting to mature into the weight and do it properly.
“In the amateurs I struggled to make this weight big-time. I was never lazy but I never did the right things – I always trained hard but I mucked about in-between. Now when I go away (to camp) I go for eight weeks, I focus on everything and I don’t come home. I cook my own meals, I cook proper stuff and I live the life.”
Pody McCrory headlines in his comeback fight on Friday night but Walker hopes to steal the show and move on to a title showdown early next year.
“It’s all about ticking the box and getting another win,” he said.
“There’s big fights to be had there early next year. I don’t want to look too far ahead – I’ll just focus on this fight first. I just need to be on my game on Friday night, get the win and see what comes next.”