Undefeated Ennis welterweight Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan (11-0, 8 KOs) will fight for his first title as a professional on November 25 against English welterweight champion Danny Ball (13-1-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental Welterweight Championship.
Donovan (24) will be showcased on the undisputed world super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron (18-0) vs Katie Taylor (21-1) rematch, streaming on DAZN PPV live from 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
“If I win this fight,” Donovan said, “I will win the WBA Continental title and be ranked No. 15 by the WBA. I’d like to defend that title a few times and get a world title shot by the end of next year or early 2025.
“I know Katie Taylor extremely well; I was her sparring partner when I was 15. She’s one of the nicest people, not just in boxing, I’ve ever met. She’s never forgotten my name. She’s even come to train with me and Andy [Lee] in Dublin a few times before fights.”
Fighting out of Limerick, Donovan is trained in Dublin by former WBO World Middleweight Champion Andy Lee (35-3-1, 24 KOs), whose cousin is unbeaten lineal and reigning World Boxing Council (WBA) World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs).
Because of his relationship with Lee, Donovan has benefited from training with Fury and “The Gypsy King” is mighty high on his fellow Traveller, Paddy.
“I think Paddy Donovan is one of the stars of the future,” Fury told the Irish Mirror. “He’s definitely the biggest prospect in Irish boxing at the moment. He’s a very, very talented young fighter and he’s had a lot of amateur experience.
“He can punch hard, and he has got the boxing IQ, He’s had great tutelage with my cousin, Andy Lee. I think he’s going all the way, Paddy!”
“It meant so much to me when Tyson said that I’m going to be a world champion,” Donovan added. “They call him ‘The Gypsy King’ and in Ireland, they call me “The Gypsy Prince.”
Donovan is a southpaw and represented Ireland at the 2016 World Youth Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. As an amateur (65-12), Donovan was a two-time Irish National Champion.
