Lewis Crocker will return to Windsor Park next spring to defend his IBF welterweight title voluntarily.
The Belfast boxer claimed the vacant belt in September after a split-decision win over Paddy Donovan before a sold-out crowd at Northern Ireland’s national football stadium. Their bout, a rematch of their March meeting that ended in Donovan’s disqualification, brought boxing back to Windsor Park for the first time since Carl Frampton defeated Luke Jackson in August 2018.
Sources indicate that Crocker will defend the title on 11 April, with his opponent expected within two weeks.
Rivals Enter the Conversation
Crocker remains unbeaten in 22 professional fights and has repeatedly expressed interest in facing Conor Benn. Benn defeated long-time rival Chris Eubank Jr convincingly in their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rematch on 15 November.
Before that contest, Crocker’s manager Jamie Conlan told BBC Sport NI that Benn and WBC champion Mario Barrios offered appealing options for the 28-year-old.
Benn told Boxing News this week that Crocker “is not really a name that is on my radar.”
Outlook After the April Clash
If Crocker wins in April, plans expect him to return to the ring again in late summer.
