Lewis Crocker

Bio

Lewis Crocker is the pride of Belfast and the IBF welterweight champion of the world. The Croc is an unbeaten, heavy-handed pressure fighter who walks opponents down and lets his hands go in spiteful combinations. There is nothing fancy about his approach — he simply hurts people, and he has the power to take anybody out at 147lbs.

Crocker fights with the kind of relentless self-belief you only get from a man who has carried a city on his back. The Belfast crowd are box office, and he feeds off that atmosphere. When he gets you hurt, he is a genuine finisher who does not waste the opportunity.

The questions, as ever with a come-forward fighter, are about handling slick movers and boxing on the back foot when he needs to. But the power is the great equaliser, and Crocker has shown the heart to dig deep in the toughest moments.

On June 24 he makes the first defence of his IBF title against Australia's Liam Paro in Brisbane, live on DAZN — a brilliant, dangerous fight in the away corner. Beat a former world champion on his own patch and Crocker truly announces himself as one of the best welterweights on the planet.