Paddy Donovan’s team have successfully won their appeal for a rematch with Lewis Crocker after the IBF ruled that, among other things, the crowd at the SSE Arena in Belfast was so noisy that the bell to end the round could not be heard.

Donovan, having moments earlier floored Crocker, levelled him again with a shot that landed just after the bell to end the eighth round.

The crowd was deafening. Donovan was ahead on the scorecards but had already been deducted two points for infractions earlier in the fight.

The winner of the contest was due to become the mandatory for IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis. 

On Wednesday, the IBF’s Championship Committee, via a teleconference, watched the contest back and determined that the crowd noise was such that the timekeeper’s 10-second warning could not be heard and that the official “did not ‘close the distance’ between himself and the 2 boxers.”

In this instance, the official was Marcus McDonnell. However, the IBF clarified that neither the official nor the boxers were at fault. 

“Neither the referee nor the boxers were aware when the round was ending due to crowd noise,” reasoned the IBF.

Donovan brought fans from Limerick, but the Belfast supporters were out in force for Crocker and an arena that was initially going to be set up for some 4,000 fans was sold out with around 8,000 fans after more areas were released to the public.

The appetite for the show was such that there were long queues to get into the arena before the first bell of the opening fight.

Donovan lost for the first time to drop to 14-1 (11 KOs), while Crocker improved to 21-0 (11 KOs)

The contest was on March 1 and that night, Donovan’s co-manager Keith Sullivan said he would file a protest.

The IBF received that, along with supporting documentation, on March 7.