Lewis Crocker is determined that luck will play absolutely no part in his upcoming IBF welterweight world title rematch with Paddy Donovan.

In March a raucous crowd filled Belfast’s SSE Arena for the first instalment of what has become a heated rivalry.

Despite losing two points for using his head, Donovan had dropped Crocker and was on the verge of a comprehensive, star making victory as the bell sounded to end the eighth round. A second later, the 26-year-old southpaw landed another right hand which floored Crocker.

Referee, Marcus McDonnell, disqualified Donovan and a swollen Crocker was declared the winner.

As pandemonium ensued around him, a whole host of emotions will have flowed through Crocker’s body as he was led back to his corner.

As well as confusion at the initial outcome, there was likely disappointment and embarrassment at having been outfought and badly hurt for the first time in his professional career.

The overriding sentiment, however, was one of good fortune. The right hook that landed after the bell didn’t only give Crocker a disqualification victory, it handed the 28-year-old an unlikely shot at redemption.

On September 13, Crocker (21-0, 11 KOs) and Donovan (14-1, 11 KOs) will meet again. The controversy of the first fight meant that a bigger venue would be needed for the rematch and a crowd of around 20,000 is expected to fill Belfast’s Windsor Park for the all-Irish clash.

The stakes are also higher. The winner will leave with the vacant IBF welterweight title. DAZN will stream the event globally.

During an edition of Matchroom’s ‘Cards on the Table’ Crocker admitted at that he felt lucky as the official decision was announced.

“I did, yeah. Because at that time my eye was shut. You had put me down. I was in trouble,” he told Donovan.

“So when I knew what happened, I did. I'm not going to say I didn't feel lucky because it did, I was losing the fight. But that's why it was so important for me to to want the rematch because that’s not the way the fight should have ended on my behalf so I had to make it right.”

The first fight was seen as a genuine clash of styles between two unproven but exciting talents. For every person who thought that Crocker’s unorthodox but effective way of delivering his heavy, thudding shots would eventually take it’s toll on Donovan, there was somebody equally as sure that the Limerick man’s flair and natural ability would prove too complicated a puzzle for Crocker to solve.

In the end, Donovan did show his technical ability but he was also more than willing to stand inside with Crocker and prove himself to not only be the better boxer but the rougher, tougher man.

Crocker acknowledges that, this time around, any random straw poll would come out in heavily in Donovan’s favour.

“I would say 90% of people probably wouldn’t give me a chance in this fight,” he said. “The last fight was seen to the general public as a 50-50 fight, but not this time. So, yeah, I'm a massive underdog.”