In his hometown of Belfast, the Northern Irishman defeated Paddy Donovan of Limerick at Windsor Park to win the vacant belt. Following his initial meeting with Donovan in March, Crocker was not considered by many to win the title. Donovan outclassed Crocker in their first match, but Crocker was floored by a shot after the bell in the eighth round, and Donovan was later disqualified. In the rematch, Crocker's tactics caught many off guard. He defeated Donovan by dropping him twice on his way to a split decision victory. The Irishman's name is now being called by many, and a fight with Conor Benn in-house is one possibility. In recent weeks, there have been discussions about boxing legend Manny Pacquiao taking on WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero. However, after a draw with WBC 147-pound champion Mario Barrios in July, Pacquiao may have to look elsewhere for a title shot after Romero was ordered to defend his title against mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov.