Liam Paro after title win: 'I am the man in the 140-pound division now'
Undefeated Australian defies the odds with massive upset decision over Subriel Matias in Puerto Rican homecoming
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Few thought Liam Paro had much of a shot when he challenged Subriel Matias for his IBF junior welterweight title on Saturday night but that, of course, is why they fight the fights.
Brimming with confidence from the moment the fight was made, and one of the few 140-pounders not only willing to fight the man viewed as the most avoided in the division, Paro not only embraced the assignment but happily agreed to go on the road and challenge him in his hometown.
So, Paro made the nearly 10,000-mile journey from his home in Brisbane, Australia, to Matias’ hometown of Manati, Puerto Rico, and scored the major upset to win the title in the main event of Matchroom Boxing’s card on DAZN at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu.
After fighting through some rough moments in the first half of the bout against one of boxing’s most feared punchers, Paro won a well-deserved unanimous decision — 116-111, 115-112 and 115-112 — and declared himself the man to beat in the division.
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