As the great Johnny Logan (almost) sang: We've been waiting, such a long time.
But tonight, at Windsor Park in Belfast, two professional Irish boxers will finally face each other for a world title belt.
Lewis Crocker (21-0-0) and Paddy Donovan (14-1-0) were both unbeaten when they first met, in a controversial welterweight title eliminator at the SSE Arena in March.
Limerick man Donovan had been docked two points, for use of the elbow and head, but was comfortably ahead on the judges scorecards by the eighth round, when he floored his opponent then moved in for the kill after the referee’s count.
Local boy Crocker looked to have clung on but was knocked to his knees by a Donovan hook thrown after the bell sounded. Donovan thought he had secured the knock-out but referee Marcus McDonnell had, in fact, disqualified him for the third foul.
A brawl subsequently broke out in the crowd.
A distraught Donovan said afterwards that "the ref took my dreams away tonight. I landed the combination, didn't see the ref or hear the bell, continued with the combination and thought I knocked Lewis out."
Crocker’s manager Jamie Conlan, himself a one-time world title contender, admitted Donovan had been on top but said: "If you commit the fouls, you’ve got to be responsible for your actions."
Donovan’s trainer, former world champion Andy Lee, called McDonnell "a disgrace", saying the referee should have stepped in to stop the boxing before the late punch was thrown, and promised an immediate appeal for a rematch.
That was granted by the IBF later in March and reigning champion Jaron 'Boots’ Ennis’ subsequent decision to move up to light-middleweight means not only do we have another contest but one in which a life-changing belt is on the line.
It’s fair to say that it is also a grudge match. For Donovan at least, who revealed that he missed the birth of his son while in training camp.
"I’m going to put an end to Crocker’s career on Saturday night," said the southpaw, who has taken 79% of his victories by knockout. "I’m going to stop Lewis Crocker.
"I'd been winning every round and was in a comfortable position, so the only way for Lewis to get the win was by taking a dive.
"Lewis is a good fighter who does a lot of things good but he makes a lot of mistakes. I just think I can capitalise on them. I think I’m a better puncher, who has more skill, more heart and with a better engine. Anything can happen in a fight and I have to be cautious of everything, but I can fight him if he wants to fight. I can out-box him, out-think him and out-work him and my fitness is as good as you will see.
"Lewis is a tough man, he's a proud Belfast person. He’s on home ground so I don’t expect to go in and walk all over him. [But] my job is to overcome all his challenges and then let mine flow. World titles are earned, not given. I've earned it in the gym, the way I’m working with Andy and now it’s time to earn it in a fight."
For his part, Crocker predicts he will "silence all the doubters", of which there are many after a subdued performance eight months ago. Despite his greater experience, two years older at 28, he has stopped just over half half his opponents and Donovan is a massive odds-on favourite.
"I know I’m a much better fighter than I was last time," Crocker insisted. "I believe I knock Paddy Donovan out, without a doubt.
"Nobody wanted the fight to end like that, including myself. I agreed with the [disqualification] decision, but also agreed there should be a rematch. He didn't knock me out. Paddy made the mistake and paid for it.
"The last fight was massive even before the result. But Saturday is the highest stage and it’s what you get into boxing for.
"I'm a massive underdog in this fight - nobody's expecting me to win. To pull off the win, it would be the stuff of dreams."
"I'm very proud that the very first all-Irish world title fight is in Belfast" - Lewis Crocker
Belfast has produced more than its share of world champions. In the last decade alone, Carl Frampton, Ryan Burnett and Anthony Cacace – the current IBO super-featherweight kingpin – have held straps.
Burnett, whose career was sadly ended aged just 27 by injury, had the last successful title bout in the city - his defence of the IBF bantamweight crown against Zhanat Zhakiyanov in 2018 - while Frampton had the most recent fight at Windsor Park, against Luke Jackson in 2018.
You would expect the majority of the crowd to be behind Crocker. He is a native of the loyalist Sandy Row area and a fan of stadium owners Linfield but also boxed with the West Belfast club Holy Trinity as an amateur – "nobody there cared what your religion was" – proudly represented Ireland, and has spoken of having friends on both sides of the community after attending a non-denominational school. He described the first meeting with Donovan as "Belfast v Limerick" rather than "North v South".
"I’m very proud that the very first all-Irish world title fight is in Belfast," Crocker said this week.
"Katie Taylor and my older sister Alanna were the first two females to fight in a sanctioned fight in Ireland so it’s history being made again.
"For Belfast to get another world champion would be exceptional, and it gives other fighters opportunities to fight on big cards."
However, Limerick man Donovan also insists he feels right at home in the city.
"I made my debut in Belfast and it is actually my seventh professional fight in Belfast," he observed. "I’ve practically made it my home.
"I’m delighted to be here and there are some of the best fans in the world in Belfast and whether they are with me or against me, the stadium is always rocking. To be back here fighting for a world title is a dream come true."
One of these men will feel like they have lost everything, but either way, Irish boxing will have a new world champion on a historic night.
