PADDY Donovan boxed beautifully but suffered a first defeat of his six-year pro career Saturday night in dramatic circumstances, disqualified having crunched Lewis Crocker with a right hook moments after the bell sounded to end round eight of their 12-round IBF welterweight title final eliminator.

Emotions were sky-high in the ring from a raucous SSE Arena as Matchroom returned to Belfast for the first time in 14 months. That night, at the considerably smaller 1,000-seater Ulster Hall, both contenders logged contrasting TKO victories as their trajectory edged ever closer towards one another.

Here, at a 8,000 sell-out, Donovan (20-1, 11 KOs) was left distraught and Crocker's team understandably delighted after being gift-wrapped an unexpected present during a contest their man was clearly second best in on home soil.

Trailing 69-65 on one scorecard, 69-63 across two others with the Limerick man already being deducted a point apiece in rounds six and eight for excessive use of the head, Crocker (21-0, 11 KOs) had worsening eyesight by the minute and was being outboxed by a patient, purposeful gameplan.

He accepted it wasn't the way he would've liked to maintain his unbeaten record, though suggested justice was served after being on the receiving end of fouls impacting his ability to regroup and ultimately would've factored in referee Marcus McDonnell's decision waving the contest prematurely.

"It's not the way I want to win, I heard the bell and can't see because I'm getting hit with the head and that all night, dropped my hands and that's what caused the knockdown. Our plan was to work in the second-half, I can't see in this [right] eye, repeatedly hit with the head and an elbow that wasn't caught but a punch came out of nowhere after the bell. It was turning into a great fight, I've always said Paddy is a great fighter, just a shame the way it happened," he said in the ring immediately post-fight.

When asked about an immediate rematch, Crocker admitted it was too early to decide next steps with too much going on in his brain to think clearly, instead deferring to Eddie Hearn - who promotes both men. Instead, he repeatedly thanked the crowd firmly behind him, as Donovan relished the spoiler role and was applying the finishing touches to a career-best display.

Hearn suggested Crocker could easily sit on his newly-minted mandatory challenger position for Jaron Ennis' title after this controversy, knowing the Philadelphia champion (33-0, 29 KOs) will box fellow unbeaten titlist Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) in a IBF/WBA unification on April 12, with the Ring belt at 147-pounds also up for grabs in Atlantic City next month.

"We know what controversy does, builds massive fights and rematches. Will Crocker want it, will the IBF want to see it? Lewis can sit and wait, maybe in five months or at the end of the year - with a fight in the middle - box for a world title. Paddy made a mistake that could've cost him a world title shot because he boxed superbly," the Matchroom chief said.

Crocker had been floored in the final half-minute of round eight, unable to withstand a barrage of punches as Donovan pierced through his high guard and while quick to his feet, The Croc was squinting through his badly damaged eyes and a merciful ending felt inevitable.

His wild defensive swinging shots from the ropes felt like a final stand. Donovan threw a two-punch sequence as the bell sounded, missing with the left and catching Crocker on the follow-up, leaving him in a heap. Nonetheless, the younger man stressed the outcome was an injustice with DAZN's Jamie Moore.

Donovan made sure to stress they would seek an immediate rematch as his team, headed by highly-regarded trainer Andy Lee, will be lodging a formal appeal and expect the IBF to order a second contest much like the sanctioning body did for Carl Froch vs. George Groves 1 in November 2013.

"I won the fight, was winning every single round, beating him up... the crowd is raucous, I thought I hit him on the bell, the ref took my dreams away tonight. I don't have to speak, they know exactly what happened, I knocked him out as I said I'd do, we're gonna appeal the decision and I want an immediate rematch on the spot. I want the IBF to overrule it, rematch and I'll beat him again."