'You witnessed a kid who changed his life tonight'

Lewis Crocker strutted into the biggest night of his life with a chip on his shoulder.

For six months, he had stewed on his first encounter with Paddy Donovan. Amid the brouhaha that followed a wild night inside Belfast's SSE Arena, it was easy to forget that Crocker had won.

Only it didn't feel like it. Sub-par on the night, Crocker was outfought by the all-action Limerick southpaw, but still left with a 'W' next to his name after Donovan was disqualified for landing a blow after the bell at the end of the eighth round.

When the inevitable rematch was confirmed, Donovan was installed as the favourite. It did not escape Crocker's notice.

And so, within seconds of becoming Belfast's latest world champion via a split decision win at a raucous Windsor Park on Saturday night, Crocker was keen to get his point across when a DAZN microphone was thrust under his chin.

"Nobody gave me a chance in this fight, nobody," said the new IBF welterweight champion.

"But I want to say all the people who gave me stick after the last fight, when you write your post tomorrow make sure you write 'Lewis Crocker world champion!'"

Later, in the calmer surroundings of his post-fight press conference, Crocker added: "Paddy's a great fighter. I saw articles in the build-up saying he could be the greatest Irish fighter of all time.

"That's how much people were building this guy up, and nobody was giving me a chance, so it was good to prove people wrong."

Winning a world title is every fighter's dream, but Crocker was afforded the opportunity of breaking through to become the latest star of the welterweight division on home turf, in a stadium that is a mere five-minute stroll from his house.

And in seizing the biggest chance of his life, he follows in Carl Frampton's footsteps by triumphing on a rare night of championship boxing at Northern Ireland's national stadium.

"You just witnessed a kid who changed his life tonight," 28-year-old Crocker told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"There are massive opportunities going forward. And I have the pleasure of having Carl Frampton ringside, I was here at his fight [against Luke Jackson in 2018] and to bring big nights back to Belfast is everything I've ever dreamed of."

Crocker cut a stoic figure in the build-up all week, largely sidestepping the temptation to make grand proclamations and whip up the hype until Friday's weigh-in when he vowed to knock Donovan out.

It did not quite pan out that way, but unlike their first meeting, Crocker nailed his gameplan and produced two of the bout's most thunderous punches to knock his opponent down in the third and fifth rounds.

With the stakes drastically higher than their March encounter, it was a largely cagey affair, but Crocker remained disciplined and economical throughout, refusing to let Donovan build up the head of steam that came so readily to the 26-year-old six months ago.

For the home fighter, embracing his underdog status and staying low-key in the build-up facilitated a more relaxed, controlled performance.

"I was being patient and making him miss and I'd make him pay eventually," added Crocker.

"Billy [Nelson, his trainer] wanted me to pick up the pace a bit, but I could see that he was waiting for me to time and when he missed I was able to counter.

"There was nothing there tonight, he never buzzed or me anything. I felt comfortable, I was blocking shots well and was making him pay when he missed.

"If it wasn't the end of the round in the second knockdown, I would have went out there and finished him. But big respect to Paddy, he's a phenomenal fighter, I beat a world-class fighter."

After a stellar junior amateur career, Crocker turned professional in 2017. Three years later, he stopped England's Louis Greene in the seventh round to win the WBO European welterweight title in Wakefield.

Two successful defences of that belt followed before attracting more attention with a dominant win over Tyrone McKenna - who beat Dylan Moran on Saturday's Windsor Park bill - in December 2023.

"I'm just getting started in my career, and a thank you to Eddie [Hearn, Matchroom boss] it took that Tyrone McKenna fight to change my life to get some publicity.

"Here I am. World champion at Windsor Park. The best night of my life."

The big question, naturally, centres on Crocker's next step. In the ring, he was quick to call out Conor Benn, who has not fought since losing to Chris Eubank Jr in April.

"I just think, domestically, it's a huge fight with great styles.

"It's going to be entertaining from the get-go. Benn's a quality fighter. People always mention his name but I always thought there was no point in saying anything because I didn't have a bargaining chip, why would he fight me, but I'm world champion now."

Hearn, too, was keen to insert some illustrious names into Crocker's orbit, including two-weight world champion Devin Haney, WBA kingpin Rolando Romero and WBO belt holder Teofimo Lopez.

"They've never had a night like that in Belfast with those kind of names coming to Belfast," said Hearn.

"But with Lewis and Conor being part of the Matchroom team, it's an easy fight to make. We had one more stand [in the stadium] tonight and you'd certainly do that for a Conor Benn fight and if we did it at the O2, he [Crocker] would half fill it up with you lot anyway."

Whatever Crocker does next, he will tackle his next challenge with a long sought after piece of hardware around his waist - and with the euphoria of having captured it in his own backyard still fresh in his memory.