Seven weeks have passed since Lewis Crocker's stunning world title win over Paddy Donovan in their much-anticipated rematch and after absorbing his emotions from a second straight defeat, the Limerick man has a new focus on his mind.

Former IBF junior welterweight champion Liam Paro (27-1, 16 KOs) is next for the Andy Lee-trained contender after his team successfully lobbied to remain highly-ranked after two contentious losses against the sanctioning body's new champion.

After his gruelling 12-round points win over France's unbeaten David Papot, Paro moved up five spots and now sits as the IBF's No. 2-rated contender, while Donovan (14-2, 11 KOs) is a notch below him at No. 3. The top berth remains vacant.

There's still no update on Crocker's voluntary title defence, expected in the first quarter of 2026, though it won't be 2024 IBHOF inductee Manny Pacquiao as the Filipino icon closes in on a Floyd Mayweather rematch some 11 years after their first meeting.

While the new beltholder enjoys his victory lap and meets with Matchroom brass about their next move, Donovan could be headed down Under as Australian reports suggest Paro-Donovan may land on the Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa undercard on January 16.

Donovan insisted last week that a site and date remained unconfirmed but provided he gets a fair shake with the judges, the location doesn't matter much to him after feeling aggrieved during his two-fight Crocker series.

"If they called and asked, I'm physically in good shape and must keep moving on," he told The Ring about his readiness to potentially turnaround for an Australian business trip in 11 weeks' time.

"Mentally it was tough but I've absorbed the defeat and suffered more outside the ring, just grateful to be in this position and now it's time to bounce back, there's no other choice."

On what he thought about Paro as an opponent, the 26-year-old was complimentary and looking forward to the challenge against someone growing into the 147-pound division.

Having forced Jonathan Navarro to retire after five completed rounds of their 143-pound catchweight in June, the Queensland southpaw returned three months later to unseat Papot during an entertaining scrap that proved closer than the judges' scorecards suggested.

Paro's painful-looking eye injury has sufficiently healed to a point where his handlers are confident he'll be even more active in the new year starting with a must-win matchup against Donovan, having endured stop-start spells littered with inactivity previously.

"He's a fantastic fighter coming up from the weight below, a good southpaw and very active with his punch output, very fit also. I didn't watch his fight against Papot, just some highlights, but Andy and I will study them now after he focused on Joseph Parker.

"The difference between us is, I'm a bigger puncher and can really trouble him if I land. I don't think he can do the same but we'll see and let the best man win."