LIMERICK, Ireland (March 27, 2025) – The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has granted the appeal filed by Team Donovan regarding the controversial disqualification of Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan in the eighth round of his March 1st International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Welterweight Title Eliminator against Lewis Crocker at SSE Arena (Odyssey Arena) in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Donovan appealed to prevent Crocker from fighting for the IBF World Welterweight Title and ordering an immediate rematch between the two boxers as the IBF World Welterweight Title Eliminator.
Keith Sullivan, Donovan’s co-manager with trainer Andy Lee, is a New York City-based lawyer who manages multiple fighters, said, “I am very happy that the IBF agreed with my arguments and evidence, they made the right decision under the rules. The rematch will be even bigger than the first fight. The crowd and fans around the globe absolutely loved it; the atmosphere in the arena was electric. It was a great promotion put on by Matchroom and it is unfortunate it ended as it did, but now Paddy will set the record straight and continue his quest for a world title.”
Donovan was dominating Crocker after eight rounds. The judges scored the first seven rounds 69-63, 69-63 and 67-65. He knocked Lewis down earlier in the eighth round with a right hook. Moments later, the Limerick fighter was shockingly disqualified by referee Marcus McDonnell for hitting Lewis, who was trapped on the ropes, a mere fraction of a second after the bell sounded to end the round. Donovan threw the unintentionally late punch because he was unable to immediately hear the bell over the 8,000 raucous fans screaming at what appeared to be a major victory for Donovan, in addition to the referee not adequately performing his ring duties.
The timekeeper’s 10-second warning was not audible on any of the multiple videos recorded by DAZN, the broadcaster of the event, and submitted by Sullivan. Since the timekeeper never rang the 10-second bell, referee McDonnell never shouted the customary 10-second warning and never positioned himself near the fighters to give the visual indication to them that the round was nearing the end and to be ready to separate the two at the bell. This positioning was especially needed for safety reasons because Donovan was seriously damaging Crocker by throwing a rapid series of blistering combinations. Oddly, the referee walked backwards away from the two fighters during the final 10 seconds of the round instead of positioning himself close enough to step between the two fighters as the bell sounded. He never called time or yelled stop at the bell and appeared himself to be caught off guard when the bell rang.
The appeal also noted that throughout the fight Crocker had hunched forward and led with his head towards Donovan, placing his head in the open space between the fighters. With 40 seconds remaining in the eighth round, the referee called time out and deducted a second point from Donovan, even though multiple videos and still pictures showed nothing warranting a penalty under the rules and regulations. At no point in time was Crocker warned, let alone deducted a point for leading with his head.
The lengthy appeal submitted by Donovan’s co-manager and lawyer, Keith Sullivan, cited the applicable rules of both the IBF and ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions), provided multiple video angles, still photos, an expert referee opinion, and a statement from Donovan himself to demonstrate Crocker’s dubious tactics, and the referee’s errors throughout the bout. Sullivan argued that there was no clear evidence that Donovan intentionally committed the foul, which is a necessary requirement for a disqualification in that situation. Thus, under the rules, Donovan should have been given a warning or as much as a two-point deduction for the accidental late punch and Crocker awarded five minutes in addition to the one-minute rest period between rounds, and the fight allowed to continue. If Crocker was unable to continue, a technical decision should have been called by the referee and the winner decided on the scores as submitted through eight rounds.
“I am very proud of the support Keith and Andy provided to me during the process,” Donovan stated. “I have a great team around me. I am pleased with the outcome of the appeal. I am eager to get back in the ring to showcase my boxing abilities once again and continue on the path to a world title.”
“Thank you to President Peoples and the IBF,” Lee added. “The world saw what happened on March 1st. We look forward to setting the record straight.”