Lewis Crocker edges Paddy Donovan to become IBF welterweight champion in historical Irish thriller

Lewis Crocker dropped Paddy Donovan twice en-route to the IBF welterweight championship as he edged a historical Irish thriller at Belfast's Windsor Park by split decision.

'The Croc' followed in the footsteps of Carl Frampton to become the city's latest world champion as he sealed a 114-113, 114-112 and 111-115 victory in a taut rematch.

Six months after the pair first met across the city at the SSE Arena for a bout ultimately mired in controversy, both men arrived back in search of a definitive answer to their rivalry.

Now, they have it, as Crocker prevailed against his rival in front of a vociferous crowd at the home of the Northern Ireland national football team to seal his spot in history.

Amid a fractured division poised to only grow in strength across the next year, he now has the chance to stamp his authority at 147lbs and further enhance his legacy.

For Donovan however, they will be left to wonder what could have been, though they can take solace in the knowledge another shot may come their way sooner rather than later.

After a set of impressive ringwalks, replete with fringed jackets and lusty singalongs to Neil Diamond's eternal classic Sweet Caroline, both stars opened in cautious fashion.

Donovan, drawing equal cheers and boos, looked to land the cleaner work in the early exchanges, but Crocker worked the edge of the ring well to keep in touching distance.

A smart hook in the third caught his opponent off-balance to send him tumbling to the canvas, in a blow that was ruled as a knockdown to the Limerick fighter's disbelief.

That set the scene for a lively fourth round, in which the duo traded stinging blows, before Crocker dropped his rival with a wild swinging left to drop him for a second time.

With a pressing need to impose his own grip on the contest, Donovan sought to control matters in the sixth, and snapped a few good punches of his own in the seventh.

A mostly low-key eighth round saw each fighter struggle to carve out a further advantage, but despite landing another hook, Crocker appeared winded at the end of the ninth.

That seemed to further energise Donovan, who continued to press from the middle of the ring throughout the tenth and eleventh, peppering his rival with smart body shots.

Heading into a final round with a contest seemingly too close to call, both men let their hands go in a desperate effort to snatch victory, and duly celebrated at the final bell.

But when the scorecards were finally read out after a lengthy delay, it was Crocker whose hand was raised, to send his home fans into delirium and crush Donovan's dreams.

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