The fireworks started early as Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan came face-to-face at a lively press conference in Belfast.

The welterweight contenders will meet at the city's SSE Arena on March 1st and the fight will be screened live worldwide on DAZN.

The winner of the fight will not only prove themselves to be the best welterweight in all of Ireland, they will make themselves the mandatory challenger for Jaron Ennis’ IBF world welterweight title.

The heavy handed Crocker’s name was whispered in gyms for years but his reputation as a danger man made it difficult to find him the type opposition who could showcase his true ability.

The 28 year-old served a lengthy apprenticeship on undercards and small hall shows before an entertaining win over his Belfast rival, Tyrone McKenna, in December 2023 saw him break through into public consciousness.

Crocker 20-0 (11 KOs) maintained the momentum by stopping Mexico’s Jose Felix in a hastily arranged fight made at 150lbs three months later. Last June, he returned to welterweight and outlasted Conah Walker in one of the very best fights of 2024.

Donovan 14-0 (11 KOs) has been touted for stardom from an early stage of his career. Trained by former WBO middleweight champion, Andy Lee, the Limerick southpaw is a tremendously talented operator who - apart from enduring a couple of testing rounds during his seventh round stoppage of Williams Herrera last January - has controlled almost every minute of his professional career.

The 26 year-old has swiftly climbed the world rankings and is highly rated by the WBC, WBA and IBF.

Donovan broke down former British lightweight champion, Lewis Ritson, last May but as well as representing a sizeable step up in his level of opposition, the fight with Crocker will be the first time he has headlined such a high stakes, high profile event.

As well as being polar opposites in terms of style the two couldn’t be more different outside of the ring but, on Wednesday, both fighters confidently stated their cases during some entertaining exchanges.

“I knock Lewis Crocker out,” said Donovan, who arrived at the press conference dressed as the Crocodile Hunter.

“I don't believe Lewis is a world class fighter. I think he's a top British level fighter but not a world class fighter. There's levels and I'm a lot better than Lewis.”

The fight between Crocker and Walker made for a thrilling spectacle for boxing fans and, for a while, there were rumours that the two could engage in an immediate rematch. Donovan paid close attention to the ten round war and feels that this fight has only been made because his rival had no appetite for a return with Walker.

“I believe Walker won the fight,” he said.

“It was a tight fight, but I believe Walker won the fight and I believe that Crocker was scared to rematch Walker because he knew he was going to get beat.

“You were forced to fight me. You don't want to fight me. You never called me out. I was pushing for this fight for the past twelve months.”

Crocker holds top ten rankings with the WBO, IBF and WBA himself. He laughed off Donovan’s suggestions that had been forced into the fight and he believes that Donovan actually tried to talk himself out of the fight by demanding that he fight at home in Limerick.

He thinks that the big event experience he has accumulated over the past year will prove to be a crucial factor.

“March 1st is the biggest stage,” he said. “I think the major difference in this fight between me and him is this will be my sixth time headlining. I felt more pressure against McKenna than I do against him.

“The best thing that ever happened was that Walker fight because they took so much confidence. Me and my team know what happened on fight week which affected me enough in that fight but I made no excuses because I'm not a b—-h. Not like this man here. I made no excuses.

“I beat a better fighter than he's ever beat. But let's not forget the worst version of me beat the best version of Conan Walker.”

Before the fighters spoke, Donovan’s trainer, Andy Lee, confidently stated that contrary to popular belief, his fighter is actually the harder puncher of the two and seemed to suggest that his superior timing will see him secure an eye catching stoppage victory.

Crocker’s trainer, Billy Nelson, could barely contain his contempt at Lee’s suggestion that Donovan is the more powerful puncher and confidently stated that his man will win inside the distance.

In closing, both fighters confidently reiterated their trainers’ thoughts.

“Lewis Crocker, I'm going to give you the hiding of your life when it comes March 1st,” Donovan said. “I'm going to separate the men from the boys and I'm going to show you what a real Irish fighter is.”

“I'll beat this man without a doubt,” Crocker countered. “It's going to be the toughest night of his life.”