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Paddy Donovan is delighted to be back on the world title trail. After suffering defeat to Lewis Crocker in the first ever all Irish world title fight, ‘The Real Deal’ looked set for a rebuild. However, he could be straight back into world title action if he win his next fight. The IBF have world welterweight title eliminator between Donovan and Liam Paro with winner becoming the mandatory challenger for IBF Welterweight World Champion Lewis “The Croc” Crocker. The Limerick southpaw is delighted to have path cleared back to the top and says he won’t let a world title slip from his grasp if he secures another shot. “Massive thanks to the IBF,” Donovan said. “They took their time to look at the appeal and made the right decision. That means a lot to me. I’ve huge gratitude to my management team, Keith Sullivan over in New York, and Andy Lee here at home in Ireland. They never stopped fighting for me. I couldn’t ask for better people in my corner. Keith’s a brilliant lawyer and manager who put in another top-class appeal. This has only fired me up even more. I’m back chasing that world title, and when I get there again, there’ll be no questions left.” View this post on Instagram Donovan’s manager Sullivan suggests the IBF made the decision to hand the OLOL graudate another shot because of poor scoring in the pairs second meeting, although the organisation made no reference to how the bout was scored when ordering an eliminator. “The sport should acknowledge an organization like the IBF that was willing to correct an error,” commented Donovan’s co-manager Keith Sullivan “President Daryl Peoples and Ratings Chairperson Ben Keilty handled the review with professionalism and integrity, but the bigger issue remains – our scoring system needs reform. Whether it’s expanding to five judges or integrating technology, something must be done. “Paddy’s performance over these last two fights showed he won 18 of 20 rounds, and he deserves another shot at the world title. Paddy and Andy can hold their heads high; they’ve carried themselves with class through a difficult few weeks. “I’ve said it before, true fighters don’t dwell on setbacks, they use them. The IBF did right by Paddy and now it’s time for him to get back in the ring and seize the opportunity. The focus now is on moving forward and securing the title eliminator bout that Paddy deserves. He’s one of the most exciting talents in world boxing and his time is coming.” All negotiations must be concluded by October 30, 2025. If either Paro or Donovan decline to participate in negotiations, his ranking will drop to below No. 10 for at least six months and the next available boxer in line will be offered the opportunity to enter the elimination process. Neither fighter may take an intervening fight until the Eliminator process is concluded. A former IBF light welterweight world champion from Australia, Paro moved up in weight to welterweight in September, defeating David Papot (30-1-1, 5 KOs) by way of a 12-round unanimous decision.
