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Add FightsATW on GooglePaddy Donovan’s potential had fallen into the abyss after two straight defeats to Lewis Crocker last year in Belfast.
Disaster struck as Donovan (15-2, 11 KOs) would be disqualified following eight rounds of one-way action last March. A rematch was called with the vacant IBF welterweight title on the line six months later. However, a second career defeat followed with Donovan succumbing to a split-decision loss at Windsor Park.
“It’s been a crazy part of my career,” Donovan said in an exclusive interview with FightsATW. “Let’s be honest, I feel I should already be a world champion. I feel I should be competing with the Devin Haney’s, the [Teofimo] Lopez’s, the [Ryan] Garcia’s and the [Conor] Benn’s! That was the level we were expecting to be in. Obviously things took a turn after getting disqualified, and the second fight, I thought was very controversial as well. The fact was that when they scored the first knockdown, I fell over. When I got back to my corner [in round three], me and Andy [Lee] were chatting and I said to Andy ‘they are going to screw me again.’
“Andy told me to forget about it and get my head back in the game. In that period of time between round three and round five, I had lost my composure. That’s what I’ve been trained to do, keep my composure under that sort of pressure. But I switched off and Crocker caught me with an amazing shot to put me down. I knew it was a long way back, but I thought I won every single round right until the end. Other than the knockdown, I thought Crocker did absolutely nothing in the fight. Over the 20 rounds in the two fights, you could maybe give Crocker a share of three or four of the rounds. I don’t think he has been the same fighter since he fought me. He changed his confidence and changed his belief in himself. He was really in survival mode until he landed a clean punch in round five. I think he was a bit shell-shocked going to Australia.”
Donovan was still adequately positioned towards the top of the IBF rankings, but his promoter (Matchroom) would lose a purse bid to the now defunct RMX Sports ahead of a final eliminator to face Karen Chukhadzhian. It would force an away day in Germany, a notoriously difficult place to get a fair shake from the judges.
“Then to be the underdog heading into the fight in Germany was very strange to be honest.” Donovan continued, “It was strange for me, it was strange for Andy, it was strange for everybody because we were building my career towards something a lot bigger than heading to Germany with me being second favourite in a two-man race. But I was still very confident! With my boxing and my mentality, I still had the same confidence as I did in the Crocker fights. I feel as if I should be undefeated, but my record says something different. My boxing and my mentality was the same heading into Germany. I knew everything was on the line that night. Three losses in row, although I shouldn’t have had any, would have been a long road back. I wasn’t going to let that happen, and I made sure I got the win.”
Despite being the underdog in Mannheim, Donovan produced a flawless performance, sending his Ukrainian counterpart to the canvas in rounds six and eight. However, the scorecards read far too close to what was witnessed. As Donovan stood waiting for his victory to be confirmed, a score of 113-113 by Ukrainian judge Olena Pobyvailo gave the 27-year-old southpaw a nervous wait before his hand was raised to secure the majority-decision victory.
“I was getting deja vu when the scorecards were getting read out from the Crocker fight,” Donovan continued. “I had a gut feeling that the scores were going to go against me in Belfast; I had the exact same feeling in Germany. I had a little pray and asked God that the decision was scored fairly. Thank God my name was called out! That’s all that matters in the end.
“Chukhadzhian is one of the most avoided fighters in the welterweight division. He gave Jaron Ennis a run for his money on two occasions, and he took a lot of rounds off him in those two fights. It’s a hard day’s fight in any land, but especially going to Germany with the way they score fights. I thought I won the fight comfortably enough, but I still just won it by one round, even though I scored two knockdowns. Very crazy, but I deserved the win. It put me in a great position, and I’m challenging for the world championship after my fight in Croke Park. I’m right back where I want to be.”
Donovan’s Northern Irish nemesis would relinquish his IBF world title to Australia’s Liam Paro in June. The Irishman sits in pole position to fight for the red and gold belt for a second time later this year. But firstly, Donovan will meet Tyrone McKenna this Saturday on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s final bout against Flora Pili at the Irish national stadium of Croke Park.
“It’s every fighter’s dream to fight at Croke Park in Ireland,” Donovan explained. “When I heard the event got over the line, it was obvious that I wanted to be a part of it. It’s a part of history, and opportunities like this don’t come too much. It’s only happened once in the last hundred years. When I heard about it after beating Chukhadzhian in Germany, Andy [Lee] came to me and said ‘we can get you on the show and maybe get you a run out against Tyronne McKenna.’ From there, I told Andy ‘let’s do it.’ I couldn’t wait to get it over the line and fight at Croke Park thanks to my manager Keith Sullivan.
“General boxing fans don’t quite understand how big this is in Irish boxing, or amongst Irish people in general. It’s been a long time coming. It’s what the Irish public really wants. They want to see Katie get her farewell and they wanted it at Croke Park. I’m sure there were a lot of stadium’s that would have hosted Katie, but they Croke Park over the line. Once that happened, it was every Irish fighter’s dream to get on that card. It holds 80,000 and they sold out in the first 14 minutes. Everyone in Ireland wanted to get their hands on these tickets.”
Taylor’s fame on the Emerald Isle is unprecedented. When you step off the plane at Dublin airport, her picture with an Olympic gold medal around her neck is what greets you. The two-weight undisputed champion is only held in the highest regard when you discuss her influence with most, if not all Irish fighters.
“She’s been a part of my life for many, many years,” Donovan added. “I had the privilege of sparring with her when I was 14 or 15 years old. I helped Katie out a lot when she was at the height of her amateur days. I’ve been friends with Katie and her family for many years. We all look up to Katie, and she really put Irish boxing back on the map. To say she will be missed is an understatement.”
Donovan’s promoter Eddie Hearn had once called Donovan ‘the future of Irish boxing.’ Obviously, a large bump in the road occurred with back-to-back losses to Crocker in Belfast. However, he now sits as the IBF mandatory challenger following the upset victory in Germany. Hearn’s vision for his Irish talent has reformed with IBF champion Liam Paro in Donovan’s sights, barring an unlikely defeat to Belfast’s McKenna.
“It’s a good sign to be on this card,” Donovan said. “Matchroom only has two fighters in Ireland right now; it’s just me and Katie. I understand it’s a big void to fill! But, look, I win this fight at Croke Park, and I’m fighting for a world title. Winning that title will put me up there with the best welterweights in the world. We’ll go from there.
“It’s an extremely challenging time for me because most people won’t risk their world title fight with a fight in between. Tyrone is a very experienced fighter, and he’s coming to win. He’s had an amazing camp in Philadelphia. Some say it’s a risky fight, but for a fighter to become better, he has to be active. I think me being active and me doing what I do in the ring is the most important thing for me.”
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