Paddy Donovan reveals what he has to do to live up to Oscar De la Hoya comparisons from a legendary trainer ahead of Karen Chukhadzhian fight

EXCLUSIVE: Paddy Donovan is thrilled that one of the most famous trainers to have ever graced the sport of boxing has compared him to Oscar De La Hoya. However, ‘The Real Deal’ believes he still has a long way to go to become the Irish equivalent of ‘The Golden Boy’.

The Limerick warrior will return to action on May 15 in an eagerly anticipated IBF welterweight world title eliminator against Karen Chukhadzhian, at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany.

Paddy Donovan reacts to Teddy Atlas comparing him to Oscar De La Hoya

Blessed with a phenomenal engine, silky skills, and a ferocious will to win, Paddy Donovan has many similarities to Oscar De La Hoya. Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old has earned the respect of experts from around the globe, with Teddy Atlas, who famously trained Mike Tyson, once claiming that the fighter’s willingness to set foot inside the ring with the best of the best is exactly like the legendary six-weight world champion’s

However, Donovan himself believes he first needs to scale the boxing mountain before he can live up to that mantle.

During an exclusive interview with Sporf, the gifted athlete explained: “It’s obviously brilliant. It’s great to be recognised in America. Honestly, it’s fantastic that some of the biggest stars and journalists recognise me; having that alone is a massive achievement in itself. I’ve still got a lot to prove. I’ve got to win this world title, and then I can start being compared to Oscar De La Hoya.”

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Paddy Donovan is predicting a dramatic fight against Karen Chukhadzhian

Having lost controversially on two separate occasions to Lewis Crocker, Donovan is determined to earn his way back to another shot at the IBF champion. However, in order to do so, he’ll first have to overcome a very tough challenge, in the form of the highly esteemed Chukhadzhian, who’s got his eyes set on securing another crack at a world title himself.

Therefore, with the Ringside Zone boxing event just a week away, the 27-year-old is ready to put on the performance of a lifetime.

Donovan enthused: “I can’t describe how big of a fight this is going to be. I hope people aren’t overlooking this fight. I think it’s going to be a world-class fight. It’s going to be entertaining. There’s going to be lots of twists and turns. You’re going to see the best of me because there’s a lot on the line. I understand Karen Chukhadzhian is a great fighter, so I have to turn up, and I have to produce a fantastic win to put myself back in the mix with the world champions, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

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