BELFAST WELTERWEIGHT LEWIS Crocker is ready to take names as he makes a quick return to the ring in his hometown this Saturday night.
Crocker (18-0, 10KOs) will aim to land some leather on a familiar face to Irish boxing fans — that of lightweight Mexican puncher Jose Felix, who spectacularly inflicted a first career defeat upon Kildare’s Gary Cully on Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron’s undercard at the 3Arena last May.
‘Croc’ and ‘Josesito’ will headline Saturday night’s Matchroom Boxing show at Ulster Hall which will be broadcast live on DAZN, and also features Limerick standout Paddy Donovan (12-0, 9KOs), Lisburn’s Tokyo Olympian Kurt Walker (9-0, 1KO) and local favourite Tommy McCarthy (20-05, 10KOs).
And for main-event man Crocker, it will make for a rapid turnaround from his ‘Battle of Belfast’ with Tyrone McKenna at the SSE Arena on 2 December, a night on which the Sandy Row native elevated his standing at 147 pounds with effectively a shutout victory.
“The atmosphere was class that night,” said Crocker. “Losing wasn’t an option. It’s not in any fight but especially this fight. This was me all along. I just needed the big platform and I knew that I was going to put on a big performance.
“He (McKenna) said that he was going to make me ‘no mas’ — basically quit; that I wasn’t ready for 10 rounds, that I was going to fold under the pressure.
“I’ve never had so much fun in a fight. You can see it: I’m smiling and laughing the whole way. It was just a great night.
“I’ve got the confidence now since my last performance that I feel like I’m here now. I think with the platform of Matchroom and DAZN, I’ve got everything there that I need to be a superstar. I can’t wait to fight now, in Belfast again too – class.”
Crocker is undefeated in a professional career that began at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall in March 2017, but the 27-year-old has averaged under three fights per year across his seven-year pro career.
Following a slow pandemic period, and after 2022 was rendered barren by injury, Crocker has since upped the ante, fighting four times in 2023.
And the Sandy Row native didn’t hesitate to accept his fifth fight in the space of nine and a half months when promoters Matchroom approached him about topping a bill in his hometown, even on just six weeks’ notice in the afterglow of his career-biggest victory to date over McKenna.
“The day I got the call, I was halfway through a kebab,” Crocker said. “I thought maybe I’d have a couple of weeks off and stuff so I was just enjoying it.
“I got the call and here we are: back out the next month. It’s great to be out so quick again – that’s what you need. You need to be active, especially after a good performance. Being out again this Saturday is perfect. The stage is set for a huge year. Get this win and then push on for bigger and better fights as well.
“I truly believe that I’ve not hit anywhere near where I’m going to be as a fighter. I’m going to be a force to be reckoned with. Every man’s dream in boxing is to be a world champion, so that’s the goal.
“This is what you dream of when you start out: main event, home city, top of the bill. I can’t be stopped. I believe I will reach the very top.”
Crocker partly attributes his increased activity and soaring confidence to trainer Billy Nelson, to whose Glasgow patch he relocated his training camps early last year.
Nelson, who previously coached Scotland’s three-weight world champion Ricky Burns among others, is beginning to harness the talent that Irish boxing fans have seen in Crocker for years.
And ‘Croc’ himself continues to feel the benefits of his switch in training base, enjoying the reality that there are no home comforts in Glasgow. Work begins when he steps off the plane in Scotland and it only ends when he steps out of the ring on fight night, wherever that may be.
“I always knew I had to make the move from Belfast to elsewhere, just to get me in the zone and keep me focused,” Crocker says. “There’s no distractions over in Scotland.
“With Billy Nelson it’s the perfect set-up. My last four fights since I’ve been over there with Billy, I’ve got better each and every time, fitter each time, stronger. My last fight showed that. I’m starting to reach my potential and I’m getting there. I think this year is my breakout year.
“There’s so many names at welterweight in the UK. It’s not like I’m calling anyone out but you go through the world-class names: you’ve got Conor Benn and Josh Taylor. 147 is always a popular weight. It’s only a matter of time before all of the big names start to fight each other. Hopefully I’m in that mix.”
On opponent Jose Felix, Crocker added: “He likes to come and fight and so do I. Let’s have it. I put my life on the line each and every time — no problem. This is why I work so hard every day. This is the year of Lewis Crocker. We’re starting 2024 with a bang.”
Felix, meanwhile, sounded an even more sinister warning: “Picking me the first time was a mistake. They (Matchroom) haven’t learned, and this time it will be worse.
“First, Gary Cully. Now, Lewis Crocker. If Crocker wants a war, I’ll bring him a war.”
