Paddy Donovan opens up on sacrifices ahead of Lewis Crocker world title fight

Paddy Donovan takes on Lewis Crocker in Windsor Park for the IBF world welterweight title

Paddy Donovan has made significant sacrifices in his pursuit of becoming a world champion, and he’s hoping to reap the ultimate reward this Saturday night.

The Limerick man is set to face Lewis Crocker in the first ever all-Irish world title fight at Windsor Park, marking a historic moment not only for boxing but also for Irish sport as a whole.

Donovan has spent time away from his young family preparing for the most significant fight of his career so far, with the vacant IBF world welterweight title on the line, missing the birth of his first son over the summer.

“I just recently had a boy. I’ve got to see him once since he was born. He’s two and a half months old now. I wasn’t even there for his birth, I was in camp with Andy [Lee, trainer],” the southpaw revealed.

“I’ve got a daughter Una who loves the sport so we’ll see (if any of his kids take up boxing), it is what it is. Hopefully I can earn enough money in this sport where they don’t have to do anything really out from get their education and look forward to doing other things.

“If they want to be boxers, they can be, but to get educated and push on to do things I never done, I’d be more happy.”

In a touching tribute, the latest addition to the Donovan family has been named after the 26-year-old’s uncle William, who tragically took his own life in 2021.

“It’s been a challenging time over the last couple of months at home,” said Donovan. “I don’t want to make excuses and things like that, but everything is good at home at the moment and even though I wasn’t there for his birth, I was in the best place in the world in training camp with Andy. The wife mightn’t be too happy, but she’ll be happy when I get this world title.”