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Rising Irish star welterweight prospect Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan Psyched to headline at home in Limerick and fight in New York City

PhilBoxing.com




(L-R) – Andy Lee & Paddy Donovan celebrating together after the November 25th victory

NEW YORK (December 4 , 2023) – Fresh off his scintillating knockout of English welterweight champion Danny Ball (13-2-1, 6 KOs), newly crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental Welterweight Champion Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan (12-0, 9 KOs) gained invaluable exposure worldwide by fighting on a DAZN pay-per-view headlined by the rematch between Irish superstar Katie Taylor (22-1) and previously undefeated, unified world super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron (18-1), that was streamed live from 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

The 24-year-old Donovan lit up the sellout crowd with his fan-friendly style of boxing, displaying superior hand and foot speed, as well as dynamite in his hands as he picked up the pace in the third round, followed by an explosive fourth when he closed the show.

Donovan lived up to his nickname and pre-fight hype, cracking Ball with a powerful left that rocked his world. The game Ball somehow stayed upright, at least temporarily, but Donovan trapped him in a corner and unleashed nearly a 50 punch-barrage, mostly unanswered, decking his opponent with a vicious body shot as he moved out of the corner. Ball’s corner wisely threw in the towel before the judge’s count started.

“I looked in my corner (in the fourth round),” Donovan noted, “and Andy (Lee, his head trainer) said to go get him. I did! There was a lot of pressure to deliver in Ireland because there was a lot of talk about me fighting. The crowd anticipated my fight, and I handled it well. The fight went as good as I could have dreamed. I knew I had the talent but my maturity at 24 is where I’ve improved the most this past year. It went as we trained, and I knocked him out in the fourth round. My footwork was good, I set-up my shots and came out of the fight without a scratch. This was my best fight to date.”

In a post-fight press conference, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn proclaimed Donovan the newest Irish boxing superstar, in addition to indicating that he’s interested in promoting a fight in Paddy’s hometown of Limerick with him headlining.

"Superstars are made on the big stage and Ireland have a new superstar in Paddy Donovan,” Hearn stated. “I truly believe that. He's flashy, he's skillful, he's a good-looking fella.... He's a champion now moving to championship fights, but everybody loved seeing that fight."

“We like to see new talent emerge in Ireland,” Donovan said. “I’m set to move into the limelight."

Eddie Hearn talked about a show in Limerick with me headlining. We haven’t had boxing here in the last 10-15 years and this would possibly be the biggest boxing event ever in Limerick. If that fight doesn’t happen next, we’re also looking to fight in New York City, possibly on St. Patrick’s Day at Madison Square Garden.”

Not only is Limerick-native Lee (35-3-1, 24 KOs), the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Middleweight World Champion, Donovan’s chief second, he also co-manages Paddy with New York-based attorney Keith Sullivan.

Lee added, “That’s (fight vs. Ball) just a taste of what he can do. There’s a lot more to come from Paddy. We can bring Matchroom to Limerick for a world title fight.”




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