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Benn, Garcia, Catterall: Who could Lewis Crocker face in first IBF welterweight title defence?
Lewis Crocker upset pre-bout expectations to record the biggest win of his career as he outpointed Paddy Donovan to become IBF welterweight champion in Belfast on Saturday.
'The Croc' made it two straight victories over 'The Real Deal', but the first entirely on his own merits after his rival was previously disqualified in March's first bout at the SSE Arena.
With a split decision victory at Windsor Park after recording two knockdowns, the star appears to have settled the score for good, and now will move onto his first title defence.
But just who could be on Crocker's dance card as he seeks to cement himself among the division's top operators now he has a major strap? DAZN News profiles three options.
Conor Benn
The obvious choice can sometimes be the best, and everywhere Crocker - and pre-fight favourite - Donovan went this month, they were tipped to challenge the Briton if victorious.
Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom
Benn's career trajectory has been disrupted, to say the least, and his impending rematch with Chris Eubank Jr. - while likely highly lucrative - will vault him up the divisions again.
Plenty believe however he has the potential to be a key operator at his natural level, and he was out to face WBC champion Mario Barrios before his current bout was confirmed.
If Crocker is looking for a title defence that yields arguably the stock to rival Donovan, then he won't find many better options than a major dance with 'The Destroyer' in 2026.
Ryan Garcia
Another option sure to catch headlines, 'The Flash' is looking to rebuild his own reputation in the ring after a pair of major results that have nosedived his career trajectory.
An April 2024 win over bitter rival Devin Haney not only saw the star miss weight, but was subsequently ruled a no-contest after he was found to have failed a drug test.
Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom
Then, in his comeback against Rolando Romero in May for the WBA belt, Garcia came up short by unanimous decision in Times Square after moving up from super-lightweight.
Hopes for a Haney rematch appear to have been iced for good now, but with Crocker now holding the keys to an elusive world title, the star would surely chop at the bit for a bite.
Jack Catterall
Perhaps the great nearly-man of British boxing, 'El Gato' came close to becoming the country's second undisputed men's champion in the four-belt era back in 2022.
A split-decision loss to incumbent holder Josh Taylor was widely seen as one of the robberies of the year, with Catterall's rematch win two years later ultimately for no belts.
Catterall appeared to be moving into position for a crack at the WBO belt earlier this year when he faced Arnold Barboza Jr., only to lose in an eliminator bout on home soil.
Since then, he has stepped up to welterweight and dethroned Harlem Eubank - and unlike Benn and Garcia, is a top-fifteen-ranked fighter by the IBF, a key prospect for Crocker.
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