Notebook: Matias on challenger Paro: 'I want him to suffer'
Title Sports at Davis-Martin; Canelo-Scull purse bid update; Top Rank to co-promote featherweight titlist Espinoza; Quick hits; Show and tell
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IBF junior welterweight titlist Subriel Matias has a mean streak that he is looking to take out on challenger Liam Paro.
“As far as I know, he’s been knocked down a couple of times,” Matias said this week in translated comments. “I don’t want to knock him down; I want him to suffer and leave a strong message to the division.”
Matias will make his second title defense when he faces Paro in a Manati, Puerto Rico homecoming fight at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu on Saturday (DAZN, 7:30 p.m. ET). It will be Matias’ first fight since signing with Matchroom Boxing.
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“During camp I feel like an animal trapped in a cage,” Matias said. “The confinement, the day-to-day nuisances, being away from my family. This creates a monster that grows inside me during camp. I leave camp as an animal, in search of my prey, and this time, that’s Liam Paro.”
Matias believes he is the best in the division and he certainly has not been a man called out by other fighters, although Paro was happy to get the title shot.
“There is no one in the 140-pound division that can beat me,” Matias said. “It might sound arrogant, but I’ll show you. I trust myself and what I do, and that’s makes me dangerous. My mind is my weapon.
“I’m preparing myself to take damage, and to inflict damage. They want to take away the beans from my family, and we can’t allow that. We’ve put in a lot of effort to be here, and I cannot lose everything in one day. That’s why I have to make these sacrifices.”
Matias (20-1, 20 KOs), 32, one of boxing biggest punchers and most entertaining fighters, has not boxed in Puerto Rico since 2019 and when he signed with Matchroom Boxing fighting at home was important to him.
“I’m the best in the division at 140lbs. There is no second, third or fourth,” he said. “I’m everything. I’m one, two three and four. I’m scared, but it’s a fear that I enjoy. I just hope that nerves don’t betray me so I can do what I’ve been doing all these years, satisfy my crowd.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid. I’ve always said that I see myself unified in the division. Many say I am crazy, but I like it. One day they will open their eyes and I will be unified champion.”
Paro (24-0, 15 KOs), 28, an Australian southpaw, will have his third fight outside of his home country, having fought two bouts in the United States. He fought just once in 2022, a first-round knockout of then-unbeaten countryman Brock Jarvis, and once in 2023, a sixth-round knockout of Montana Love in December. But he is very confident he will win the title.
“I am a fighter, and fighter’s fight, and I’m proving that, not only by fighting the guy that’s the most avoided in the division, but going to his backyard to do so,” Paro said. “I’ve always said I’ll fight anyone and I’m showing that. There’s a world title on the line and that’s what you dream about as a kid, winning world titles, and what better way to do it than to take out the No. 1 guy in the division.
“I always have a quick look at the other guys in the division, but styles make fights. (My trainer) Alfie Di Carlo has had his eye on (Matias) for four or five years now and he said our paths would cross, and here we are. The day has come and this is it, time to show the world what I am all about.”
Title Sports at Davis-Martin
We were on hand for the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin final press conference on Wednesday and Aliyah Orozco and I chatted about the fight and the David Benavidez-Oleksandr Gvozdyk co-feature as well as the great history of boxing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which will host its 100th boxing card on Saturday night. Check out our Title Sports Network video here and also subscribe to the YouTube channel:
Canelo purse bid update
For the second time the purse bid for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s due mandatory defense against the unknown William Scull has been postponed.
The purse bid was scheduled to take place at the IBF offices in Springfield, New Jersey, as well as by video conference on Thursday but on Wednesday afternoon the IBF notified its registered promoters it had been postponed and rescheduled for June 18.
The bid was originally scheduled for June 6 but postponed for one week before being delayed again.
It remains to be seen what Alvarez will do.
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs), 33, of Mexico, who is a promotional and broadcast free agent, could either make a deal and fight Scull (22-0, 9 KOs), 31, a Cuba native fighting out of Germany, although it is impossible to see that fight doing much business given how obscure and unaccomplished Scull is. He could vacate the title, but he seems to want to keep his undisputed status intact or he could have already vacated. He could also be trying to work out a deal for Scull, who won on the Alvarez-Jamie Munguia undercard on May 4, to step aside.
Typically, a purse bid would not be postponed unless both sides asked for the postponement, which is usually indicative of a deal being close.
TR to co-promote Espinoza
WBO featherweight titleholder Rafael Espinoza has signed a deal to be co-promoted by Top Rank along with Zanfer Promotions.
Top Rank announced the deal this week ahead of Espinoza’s first defense, which is scheduled against Mexican countryman Sergio Chirino in the main event of a Top Rank card on June 21 (ESPN+) at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
“Rafael Espinoza is a fighter who gives the fans excitement every time he steps through the ropes,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “I look forward to working with our friends at Zanfer Promotions to deliver Rafael the biggest and best fights. He has all the tools to become one of the great Mexican champions of his era.”
Said Espinoza: “I’m very excited about this agreement between Zanfer Promotions and Top Rank to take my career to another level. I promise you all great fights and great wars. And more than anything else, I promise to continue giving my all to win the hearts of all the fans. I’m also excited about my main event fight in Las Vegas. I'll show that this title will stay with me for a long time.”
Espinoza (24-0, 20 KOs), 30, was unknown when he scored a dramatic and huge upset to win the title from Robeisy Ramirez in December in a 2023 fight of the year contender in which they exchanged knockdowns and Espinoza pulled out a majority decision.
If Espinoza defeats Chirino (22-1, 13 KOs), 29, and Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs) defeats Brandon Leon Benitez on June 29 in Miami, Top Rank is planning for a rematch between Espinoza and Ramirez this fall.
Quick hits
With a 30-day negotiating window expiring without a deal, the WBC will conduct a purse bid to determine promotional rights for the fight between lightweight titlist Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KOs), 25, of Las Vegas, and mandatory challenger Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), 30, a southpaw from Spain, on June 18 at the WBC offices in Mexico City and via video conference. Ten percent of the winning bid will be held by the WBC and go to the winner as bonus. Haney, who retained the title despite a majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20 because Garcia was 3.2 pounds overweight and ineligible to win it, is entitled to 70 percent of the remaining 90 percent of the winning offer and Martin 30 percent.
Angel Ayala (17-0, 7 KOs), 24, of Mexico, and Dave Apolinario (20-0, 14 KOs), 25, a Filipino southpaw, will meet for the vacant IBF flyweight title on Aug. 9 at Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City. Zanfer Promotions, Ayala’s promoter, won the May 14 purse bid for the bout with an offer of $250,500 to beat the only other offer of $210,000 made by Japan’s Ohashi Promotions. The fighters will split the winning bid 50-50 ($125,250 apiece). They will be fighting for the 112-pound belt Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez won from Sunny Edwards in their December WBO/IBF unification fight before vacating to move up in weight.
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions announced the lineup of fights for its “Most Valuable Prospects” event July 26 (DAZN) at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Heavyweight Gurgen Hovhannisyan (6-0, 6 KOs), 26, an Armenia native based in Los Angeles, will fight Robert Hall Jr. (14-3, 11 KOs), 32, of Johnson City, Tennessee, in the eight-round main event. Also on the card, female bantamweight Krystal Rosado (3-0, 1 KO), 21, of Puerto Rico, who is managed by unified women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, will fight Veronika Dmitriyeva (1-1, 0 KOs), 35, a Russian native fighting out of Sheridan, Wyoming, in a six-rounder and David Garcia (6-0, 3 KOs), 24, of Crescent City, Florida, will fight Dominicc Hardy (6-2, 4 KOs), 34, of Chicago, in a six-rounder at heavyweight.
Manager Keith Connolly has signed super middleweight prospect Abel Gonzalez (7-0, 6 KOs), 26, of Safety Harbor, Florida, who he will co-manage with Ryan Rickey. Gonzalez had a breakout performance in a first-round knockout of unbeaten Alarenz Reynolds on the ProBox TV card on June 5. Gonzalez was a silver medalist at the 2021 U.S. Nationals and is a two-time U.S. National Golden Gloves champion (2017 and 2021).
Zak Chelli (15-2-1, 7 KOs), 26, of England, will defend the British and Commonwealth super middleweight tittles for the first time against Callum Simpson (14-0, 10 KOs), 27, in the main event of a Boxxer card on Aug. 3 (Peacock in U.S., Sky Sports in U.K.) at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, England, Simpson’s hometown. The stadium, home to Simpson’s beloved Barnsley F.C., will be set up for 7,000. “Simpson is too scared to challenge me for my titles in (my hometown of) London so I’ll show him what a real fighter is and fight him on his home turf,” Chelli said.
Show and tell
In one of the most anticipated fights in boxing history, the young Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, half of the 1980s “Four Kings” along with Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, squared off for welterweight supremacy in an all-time great fight that lived up the hype. Leonard ultimately stopped Hearns in the 14th round to become the undisputed champion. A rematch was a natural but Leonard had multiple retirements and dealt with his retina surgery and it seemed like it might never happen. But they finally met again eight years later, once again at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, with both men still huge stars.
This time they fought for Leonard’s WBC super middleweight title, albeit at a contract weight of 164 pounds, and turned in yet another terrific fight. It was highly competitive but Hearns dropped Leonard in the third and 11th rounds and many thought he had done enough win a close decision. In the end it was ruled a split draw with one judge scoring it 113-112 for Leonard, one had it 113-112 for Hearns and one had it 112-112. Whoever you think won it was a great fight and a big part of the memorable “Four Kings” round-robin of fights. Leonard-Hearns II took place on June 12, 1989 — 35 years ago on Wednesday. Here is a site poster in my collection.
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Photos: Matias-Paro: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom Boxing; Alvarez: Melina Pizano/Matchroom Boxing
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Cant be taken the beans from the man’s family. Should be a good fight