Welterweight Prospect Paddy Donovan Has the Tools to Make Noise in the Sport
While all eyes were on the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall 140-pound undisputed title fight, on the undercard, unbeaten welterweight prospect Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan (8-0, 6KOs) picked up his eighth professional victory. The 23-year old, who turned pro in 2019, is signed with Top Rank. Former WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee is serving as his manager and trainer.
He had a stellar amateur career where he compiled a record of 161-5, winning 13 national titles and a silver medal in the 2015 AIBA World Junior Championships, As a pro, Donovan has continued his winning ways, with his most recent win coming on the aforementioned Taylor v Catterall undercard. His latest victim was Miroslav Serban (13-9, 7KOs), who he stopped in the sixth and final round.
The 5’9″ southpaw showcased a wide variety of offensive skills. A patient boxer, Donovan utilizes his jab effectively to set up his more powerful punches like the right hook to the head and body, as well as straight left hands and uppercuts.
After the fight, he spoke to iFL TV about his latest performance.
“Great performance, great turnout, great atmosphere! I’m delighted with the way the fight went. I think the people enjoyed my style of fighting tonight. I think I put on a tremendous performance, so I’m really happy. “
DONOVAN ON EXECUTING THE GAME PLAN
“This guy had fourteen fights, nine stoppages, so he came to win. He’s a very tight, very compact fighter. It took a lot of shots to break him down, but we executed the game plan exactly the way Andy Lee and my Dad told me. Work the jab, work the body, he started to open up, bringing the uppercuts, bringing the hook on the side. So exactly, I did exactly what I did, so I executed my game plan perfectly. That’s the most important thing. I went by my coaches, trained very hard, and performed. So I’m really really really happy. “
With only eight fights under his belt, it’s too early to say whether or not he’ll be a legitimate 147-pound contender. However, he has the skills, power and technical prowess to make some noise down the line.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
