Lewis Crocker is refusing to look beyond Wednesday’s opponent, Liam Paro, and what might come next.
Belfast’s Crocker makes the first defense of his IBF welterweight title against Paro, 27-1 (16 KOs), at Pat Rafter Arena in Queensland.
Crocker is the champion but also the underdog.
“He’s experienced. I guess this is his 29th fight, so he’s been around, a former world champion, obviously, and has been in with some of the biggest names about as well. He’s a tough, tough guy, a great boxer, with great fundamentals overall, so I’ve given my best [in training].”
Paro is a former champion at the weight below and has boxed just once at 147lbs, where Crocker plans on giving him a hostile reception.
Paro defeated David Papot last September at the same venue where he challenges Crocker.
“I saw that fight at welterweight,” Crocker said. “And I’m preparing that he’s going to be the best welterweight that I’ve ever fought. That’s the way we’re looking at him. So, you know, Papot wouldn’t be really that big of a welterweight either, so it’ll be interesting to see.”
Crocker has been in Australia for more than two weeks. He’s linked up with his former amateur teammate Conor Wallace and says the facilities Down Under have been incredible.
You can’t question Crocker’s focus. He fended off questions about his future by saying his concentration was focused on one man.
“I think it would be disrespectful to start calling names out and stuff now because Paro is a great operator,” said the champion. “But we’re both aware that there are big names in the welterweight division. There are huge fights to be made there for me when I win and stuff. I’ll just wait until after the fight for stuff like that.”
It seems strange that, with Irish boxing enjoying something of a renaissance, Crocker has had to travel after No Limit won the purse bids.
Within the space of a few weeks, Pierce O’Leary will headline in Dublin, then Zuffa Boxing visits Ireland, and Katie Taylor fulfils her Croke Park dream in early September.
“I remember when I first turned pro, [Carl] Frampton, he was the main man, but he was the only one there at that stage, really, as well,” Crocker said. “But now you have [Anto] Cacace, current world champion, myself as well.” And you’ve so many shows every other week, on major broadcast stations as well. So, I think it’s at an all-time high right now.”
Asked whether he felt he was missing out on that, Crocker smiled: “Well, I’m over here with a world championship, fighting in a huge show, do you know what I mean? Plus, as well, it’s meant to be winter over here. Their winter’s better than our summer, so I can’t really complain about being over here.”
Of course, Crocker – 22-0 (11 KOs) – won the title with his second win over countryman Paddy Donovan last September.
And Donovan put himself back in the frame for a trilogy fight with Crocker with a strong win against Karen Chukhadzhian in Germany last month.
Donovan made no secret of the fact that he’d like to fight Crocker once more.
“Yeah, we’ll see what happens after this fight,” Crocker said.
“The only person I’m thinking about right now is Liam Paro, but we’ll talk about that after the fight.”
Already, however, Crocker-Donovan III is being dubbed the biggest all-Irish fight in history. That is not news for Crocker.
“Our last fight was the biggest all-Irish fight in Irish history anyway,” he said of that night in the stadium at Windsor Park. “It was the first all-Irish world title fight, and especially one of that magnitude, so that’s, hands down, the biggest all-Irish fight anyway. So I’ve already won that, but I understand that the next one could be even bigger. Well, it couldn’t get bigger for me since that history-defining moment, so we’ll see what happens.”
Crocker said he’d seen only clips of Donovan’s fight in Germany.
“He’s got the job done, he’s done what needed to be done,” offered Crocker.
And while there will be big money for a third fight, Crocker – should he be able to defeat Paro – will surely have other lucrative offers.
“For sure, like, it’s life-changing opportunities, getting past this fight. So, you know, I have an ex-world champion to beat here, and then the doors really open up for me, so to speak. So I’m really focused on Paro, but I’m not worried about what’s around the corner.”
Having headlined in his hometown stadium, won a world title, and now defending it in a big fight on the road, Crocker was asked what was at the top of his boxing bucket list.
“Beating Paro,” he said.