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Paddy Donovan heaps praise on former Terence Crawford opponent who he has sparred ahead of Lewis Crocker world title clash
Donovan produced arguably the best performance of his career, but he had nothing to show for it at the end as he was disqualified for hitting his rival after the bell in a contest he had dominated from the opening bell.
Many had expected a close battle beforehand, but Donovan had other ideas as he grabbed authority in the contest from the outset and went through his wide repertoire of skills that Crocker had no answer to.
In the eighth sesssion, the end appeared close for Crocker as he was marked up very bad and had also been dropped by Donovan in that round.
An eager Donovan continued to push forward and whether it was reckless on his behalf or the noise of the crowd was louder than the bell, one late shot hurt Crocker again, but the referee threw out Donovan despite the appeals of hium and his team.
An immediate rematch was secured and with Jaron Ennis relinquishing his world titles, the IBF belt is up for grabs.
Preparing for the first contest back in March, Donovan recruited former world champion, David Avanesyan, to help with sparring.
Experienced from multiple world title fights, Avanesyan, who has recently been linked to a fascinating showdown with Pat McCormack, must have impressed the first time around as he has been asked back to help Donovan with the rematch.
Donovan is fully focused on becoming world champion and squaring the series Crocker, and he has paid tribute to Avanesyan for helping him get ready for what is the biggest fight of his life.
“Listen, he’s a seasoned veteran who’s respected globally,” said Donovan when speaking to DAZN News just days before his huge world title clash with Crocker.
“He’s fought Terence Crawford, Jaron Ennis, Sugar Shane Mosley and they’re some of the biggest names in the sport so I’m more than happy to have in camp for sparring.
“You learn so much from him. He’s very experienced, strong, determined, and I think he’s ideal for Lewis. The sparring is going brilliant and I’m performing at a very high level right now.”
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