PADDY Donovan was disqualified for throwing a punch after the bell at the end of the eight round of his all-Irish clash with Lewis Crocker.
The Munster ace had twice been warned for use of the head by referee Marcus McDonnell.
Donovan claimed the ref ‘took his dreams away’ with the decision to disqualify him[/caption]
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Up until that point Donovan had consistently out-boxed local favourite Crocker throughout their SSE Arena match-up in Belfast.
Afterwards ‘The Real Deal’ raged at McDonnell amid a chorus of boos.
He vented: “Listen to the crowd, the crowd can tell you. I won the fight, I was winning every single round.
“I dropped Lewis, I beat him up and I was getting a knockout.
“The crowd is ferocious in here. He said I hit him after the bell but I thought I hit him on the bell.
“You can see Lewis was a beaten man and that I won the fight, fair and square. And the ref took my dreams away tonight.”
Earlier on in the card Stevie Ward paid tribute to fallen fighter John Cooney after his derby victory over Tommy McCarthy.
The 34-year-old dropped his pal twice en route to a TKO win on an emotional night in their home town.
Former Celtic super-featherweight champ Cooney passed away last month after a battle in Belfast with Nathan Howells.
This was the first fight card in the city after his passing and Ward’s triumph was followed by a ten-bell salute to the Galway man.
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On the emotions swirling around, The Quiet Man said: “I don’t think people understand that side of it.
“Me and Tommy have sparred with each other since we were 12.
“We’ve done over 1,000 rounds and this is the beauty about Belfast.
“I would help him out and he would help me out.
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“Unfortunately tonight, one of us had to succeed and it HAD to be me.
“I have John Cooney’s name on my shorts because boxing is such a small circle and it’s such a dangerous sport. It’s one I love and unfortunately, it’s dangerous.”
Despite the dangers that are present every time a fighter steps through the ropes, Ward insists that had to be put to the back of his mind.
He added: “I can’t afford to think like that. I’ll be hesitant if I do and I won’t put everything on the line.
“I wouldn’t have been really friendly with Cooney but I knew him to say hello to. I have him on my shorts to be respectful.”
Pádraig McCrory was defeated after a sickening bodyshot from Craig Richards in the eighth round.
And Kurt Walker earned a win over Leon Woodstock on points.
Shauna Brown was stopped in the first round by Elif Nur Turhan in an early shocker.
And Ruadhan Farrell got the better of Gerard ‘Short Fuse’ Hughes.
