Overview

• IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker defeated Paddy Donovan by split decision in September.
• Manager Jamie Conlan says he contacted Pacquiao adviser Sean Gibbons to explore a possible title defence if Romero negotiations collapse.
• Crocker is targeting Conor Benn for February in London, with a Belfast voluntary defence also under active consideration.
• The IBF ordered Liam Paro vs Paddy Donovan in a final eliminator, granting a 15-day window for teams to agree terms before a purse bid.
• Donovan kept the No. 3 IBF ranking after an appeal, so a win over Paro would make him Crocker’s mandatory and could set up a trilogy.