DUBLIN — On Saturday night at the 3Arena in Dublin, Paddy Donovan defeated Danny Ball with an impressive performance to earn the WBA continental welterweight title.
On a huge card, Donovan(12-0,8KOs) the 24-year-old from Limerick, Ireland delivered another strong performance that demonstrated why he is regarded as one of Ireland’s best boxing prospects.
Ball, 27, was knocked down by Donovan’s thunderous left in the fourth round, but the English fighter managed to get back up and carry on a little while longer as Donovan began to unload on Ball. When Ball(13-2-1, 6 KOs) was knocked down a second time, his corner threw in the towel with less than 19 seconds remaining in the round.
Donovan, receives training in Dublin from Andy Lee, the former WBO World Middleweight Champion (35-3-1, 24 KOs), whose cousin, Tyson Fury, is the current World Boxing Council (WBA) World Heavyweight Champion and an undefeated boxer (34-0-1, 24 KOs).
“I first saw him as an amateur and I was blown away. That’s just a taste of what he can do. There’s a lot more to come from him. We can bring Matchroom to Limerick with this guy for a world title fight,” said Lee.
Donovan has dedicated his battle to Pieta, an Irish charity that works to prevent suicide. He has a deep passion for this topic because he has lost family members to suicide. Together with Lee, they’re trying to spread awareness and provide support by using the boxing stage.
“Superstars are made on the big stage and Ireland have a new superstar in Paddy Donovan. I truly believe that,” said Eddie Hearn a British sports promoter.
“You’ve got the iconic figure of Katie Taylor and Gary Cully coming up next, but you need those young stars coming through,” he added.
“He’s flashy, he’s skillful, he’s a good looking fella and if he can stay dedicated to the sport well then the road is right there to walk down and he’s got to just stay on it, stay disciplined, Christmas is coming up, back to the gym, just keep pushing us for dates and opportunities. He’s a champion now moving to championship fights but everybody loved seeing that,” he continued.
