IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker should face Jack Catterall next if he wants to avoid a promotional and competitive dead end suggests the English fighter’s manager.
Sam Jones claimed Crocker’s team are discovering that the available big-name opponents at 147lbs are few and far between.
As a result, he has suggested Ireland only reigning male world champion should fight the IBF 8 and a former undisputed world title challenger.
“Lewis Crocker is in a situation right where Conor Benn don’t want to fight him – who else is there?” he asked IFL TV.
“Haney is not going to fight him, so who else is there? You have to go down the top-15 of the IBF and think, ‘Who is the best available opponent?’
And it is, commercially, Jack Catterall in my opinion. People can disagree – go down the IBF and make your own mind up.”
There is an element of self-interest as the manager warned that ‘The Croc’ risks drifting into low-interest title defences that don’t move his career forward — or keep DAZN executives smiling.
“Lewis can have a defence against whoever, some random guy that no-one cares about, and it’s not going to do good numbers on DAZN – that’s the bottom line. He’ll sell tickets, great ticket seller, great fighter as well, Lewis, I’ve got a lot of time for him.”
Beyond a voluntary defence, Jones pointed to the IBF mandatory path: a meeting with the winner of Paddy Donovan vs. Liam Paro. A scenario he says, Crocker’s team won’t be thrilled about.
“He’ll have a defence, then he has to fight the winner of Donovan-Paro, and he’s going to have to fight his old mate Paddy again. Disaster for Billy Nelson and Lewis Crocker in my opinion. That’s not what he would want to do,” he adds before doubling down on his belief that Catterall represents the best option.
“He needs to fight the best available fight which is Jack Catterall. And then he’ll probably move up in my opinion.”
Crocker is lined up for a Windsor Park return early next year but it still remains to be seen who he will fight. Another Jones mentored fighter, Conah Walker has also put his name into the hat.