Andy Lee is a man who knows boxing inside out. The former World champion is a student of the fight game, and is now passing on his wealth of knowledge to the boxers he trains.

One of his proteges is Paddy Donovan who is set to meet Lewis Crocker in a massive all-island showdown on March 1. Not only it is a battle of two unbeaten records, but the winner will also go on to fight for the IBF World welterweight title.

The two men came face-to-face for the first time last Wednesday at the opening press conference in Belfast. A raucous crowd was in attendance to hear the boxers speak, alongside their respective trainers.

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Lee believes Donovan is maturing into something special, and believes boxing fans will see the Limerick man turn on the style on March 1.

The 26-year-old has always been regarded as a slick puncher, but Lee is convinced Donovan carries more power than the heavy-handed Crocker.

He claimed Donovan is pound-for-pound the hardest puncher he has ever taken on the pads, a boast that raised some laughter among Crocker's fans inside the Europa Hotel.

Lee said: "I know what Paddy can do, and he hasn’t even shown any of it yet. The heavy hands of Crocker, we know he’s a big puncher, but people do know about Paddy’s punching too.

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"If you ask anyone that spars him or shared the ring with him, you’ll see how powerful he is. I would argue that he’s the bigger puncher out of the two of them.

"I hold the pads for everybody that I work with – this man pound-for-pound is the biggest puncher out of the lot. I think Lewis has skill as well, but I think Paddy has a lot of power too."

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