Paddy Donovan has huge night between stopping Sam O’maison and confirming that he’s signed with Eddie Hearn & Matchroom

PADDY DONOVAN pushed himself to the forefront of the Irish boxing revolution with a superb display in Dublin.

The welterweight stopped Sheffield’s Sam O’maison in the sixth round of their clash at the 3Arena — then confirmed to SunSport that he has penned a deal with Matchroom.

Asked about hitching his wagon to Katie Taylor’s promoter Eddie Hearn, after parting with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, he said: “Yeah, signed, done deal.”

Donovan walked to the ring to Zombie by the Cranberries. And this display sparked life into his career.

When the Clare/Limerick kid turned pro in 2019, very few would have predicted that he would still be boxing on the non-televised portion of a card — especially when it is held in his home country.

And his slick performance showed that he deserves bigger and better opportunities in front of bigger audiences.

At the end of the third round, as Donovan poured on the pressure against the ropes, O’maison made him miss with a big left hook but then failed to connect with a counter of his own.

Donovan mocked him by looking to the skies, glove over his eyebrow, to suggest, ‘Where did that go?’

O’maison’s nose looked busted as he trudged back to his corner.

The Munster man’s best shot of the next round was a lead right hook just before the bell as he continued to break the former British title challenger down.

In the fourth he decided to unload, ripping O’maison with right hooks and uppercuts up the inside, the biggest of those arriving along with a cheeky bolo punch right at the end of the round.

By the sixth, the visitor looked like he was ready to go home but he came out to fight and did try to turn the tide.

That, though, put him right back in the danger zone again.

With 54 seconds left in the final round, Donovan cracked him in the eye and put him down.

Ref Emile Tiedt, son of the great Freddie — Ireland’s 1956 Olympic silver medallist — halted the contest.

Donovan had his 11th win and eighth stoppage in the bag.

Donovan added: “Sam O’maison is a tough, experienced fighter.

“He’s fought on the main card of Eddie Hearn’s shows, you need to be a talented fighter to do that.

“I knew he was going to be very tough and durable but I believe in my skill-set and my boxing IQ is a different level.”

In the opening bout of the night, Waterford warrior KATE RADOMSKA came within a point of MAISEYROSE COURTNEY, losing 58-57 after six hard-fought rounds.

And CAOIMHÍN AGYARKO bounced back from injury in his first fight since last July, beating GRANT DENNIS on a shutout decision over ten.