Boxing
Respect for rival Paro no quarter for Crocker in title defence.
Zayas vs. Ennis: Watch only on DAZN PPV - Saturday
Lewis Crocker stresses he has plenty of respect for Liam Paro, but plans to give no quarter when the pair meet on Wednesday.
The Northern Irishman travels to Brisbane's Pat Rafter Arena for his first IBF welterweight title defence against the Australian.
Paro, whose promoters won a purse bid to bring the champion to Queensland, is eyeing two-weight supremacy if he triumphs.
But Crocker - a nominal outsider despite holding the belt - is determined to prevail, even as he holds admiration for his rival.
Sparks fly as Zayas and Ennis meet
Relive DAZN FACE OFF here
"Liam Paro’s a great fighter," he was quoted by Boxing Scene. "I remember when he first came on my radar at light-welterweight.
"I was rooting for him, because he was such a big underdog [against Subriel Matias]. I never [thought] I'm going to be fighting him.
"Liam's a great operator, and he'll not want to let his fans down. But we've prepared. I'll put on the best performance of my career.
Victory for Crocker would tee up a blockbuster trilogy with rival Paddy Donovan after the latter won a final eliminator for the IBF strap.
Zayas vs. Ennis - watch only on DAZN
Xander Zayas defends his WBO and WBA super welterweight titles against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on Saturday, June 27, exclusively live on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Joshua vs. Prenga (July 25) and Canelo vs. M'billi (Sept 12) PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
