Our Donovan vs Herrera prediction will make clear why Ireland should be feeling excited about its current crop of boxers; one of whom is set to square off in Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend.
While the two young boxers this Paddy Donovan vs Williams Herrera prediction is written about seem to be in two completely different places in their respective careers at the moment, the beautiful sport of boxing has taught us time and time again why we can never be too certain of a fight’s outcome before the bout takes place.
That being said, one of these fighters’ fans has plenty of reason to be feeling confident about their guy emerging with his hand raised this weekend.
Crocker vs Felix Jr: Donovan vs Herrera Prediction
Paddy Donovan Preview
Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan — a fighter with a 12-0 professional record, which includes nine KO victories — has entered the boxing community’s collective radar over the past year in a very big way.
What’s perhaps most impressive about Donovan (who is still just 25 years of age) is how much he seems to improve in between each of his fights. This was never more evident than during his last victory, when he earned a TKO victory over Danny Ball back in November and cemented himself as Ireland’s best boxing prospect at the moment.
Although some were believing that Donovan had met his match prior to him squaring off against Ball, the “Real Deal” produced a masterclass, barely getting hit and barely breaking a sweat en route to his 12th professional victory.
While Donovan certainly wowed us in his last bout, our Donovan vs Herrera prediction is that the Irishman might be even more impressive this weekend. Donovan will enter this bout against Herrera as the shorter fighter, but also should expect to have a distinct power advantage.
If Donovan can start the fight at his own pace in the early rounds, soften Herrera up to the body, and remain patient until the knockout opportunity presents itself, we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Donovan earn his tenth KO victory in Belfast this weekend.
Williams Herrera Preview
Although Williams Herrera — a fighter with a 15-2 professional record, which includes six KO victories — suffered a defeat to Josh Wagner in his most recent bout, that doesn’t mean this Argentinian boxer should be underestimated in the slightest heading into his fight with the Irish favorite.
In fact, Herrera’s last victory — which was a decision win over Ezequiel Albarenga in April — showcased why this matchup against Donovan could put Herrera at a stylistic advantage.
What stands out when watching Herrera fight in that last victory is his ability to stick with his jab. Considering that Herrera is a taller fighter than Donovan (albeit only slightly), a wise game plan for him heading into Saturday would be to throw that jab in Donovan’s direction constantly; especially in the earliest rounds.
A Donovan vs Herrera prediction we have is that if Herrera can make Donovan think more about getting out of the way of Herrera’s jab, rather than finding his own groove and landing his own offense, then Herrera should be able to steal some early rounds; which he could ride all the way to a decision victory.
Of course, doing so against an elite fighter like Donovan is a tough task — but Herrera must know heading into this bout that it is going to be an uphill battle. And because he essentially has nothing to lose, why shouldn’t he try to go out on his shield?
Paddy Donovan vs Williams Herrera: Donovan Dominates Early and Often
Our official Donovan vs Williams prediction is that Paddy “Real Deal” Donovan will win this fight by way of knockout.
Quite frankly, Donovan is a gigantic -1600 favorite in this fight for a reason. He has a massive technical advantage over Herrera, packs much more power in his punches, and has the championship mettle that makes him one of the most exciting fighters featured in Matchroom Boxing’s spring schedule. For all of those reasons, we believe that Donovan to win by knockout — which is currently available at -350 — is a bet that all boxing lovers should be salivating over.
And even if Donovan isn’t able to produce the knockout that we’re expecting of him, we don’t see a way where Herrera can outbox him over the course of the fight; so taking Donovan to win by decision — which you can get at +260 — is another solid option.
Ireland has its next potential boxing superstar with Paddy Donovan. The 147-pound boxer seems well on his way to living up to the massive expectations that his home country has placed upon him to this point. Whether that superstar potential reveals itself in full on Saturday remains to be seen — but we certainly expect Donovan to dominate.
Grant Young is a sports writer from San Francisco. He has had two professional Muay Thai fights: he got knocked out in one, and got a knockout in the other. When it comes to his favorite fighters, it's Israel Adesanya, and then it's everyone else.
