Paro headed back to Puerto Rico for title defense vs. Hitchins
IBF junior welterweight belt on line in Matchroom Boxing main event
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Liam Paro will make his first defense of the IBF junior welterweight title against mandatory challenger Richardson Hitchins in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on Dec. 7 (DAZN) at Roberto Clemente Coliseo in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it was announced on Thursday.
Paro, who is from Australia, won the 140-pound belt via upset unanimous decision over Subriel Matias in Matias’ hometown of Manati, Puerto Rico, on June 15.
Matchroom Boxing is brining the fight to Puerto Rico because of a deal it made with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the San Juan government to stage a card there in December.
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Initially, plans were for Hitchins to headline in Puerto Rico — faded former two-division titlist Jose Pedraza, of Puerto Rico, was discussed — and for Paro to make his first defense in an Australian homecoming before the end of the year. Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. was one of the targets.
Neither fight materialized so the decision was made to have Paro (25-0, 15 KOs), a 28-year-old southpaw, face Hitchins (18-0, 7 KOs), 27, of Brooklyn, New York, next in the mandatory bout.
“All the so-called big guys at 140 pounds lost their tongues so I decided to bring on my mandatory defense early against Hitchins and clear the path for 2025,” Paro said. “I can’t wait to fight and show again why I’m the top guy at 140. I’m coming to shine again in beautiful Puerto Rico.”
Hitchins earned his position as the IBF mandatory challenger in a competitive unanimous decision over Argentina’s Gustavo Lemos in a title elimination bout on April 6 in Las Vegas. That victory followed a pair of strong wins in 2023, when Hitchins cruised to a shutout decision against then-undefeated John Bauza followed by a near-shutout of former title challenger and longtime contender Jose Zepeda.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that I’m the best 140 lbs fighter on the planet,” said Hitchins, a 2016 Olympian for his family’s home country of Haiti. “Hats off to Liam Paro. He beat the so-called boogeyman of the division, but I ain’t Subriel Matias. He’s never been in with a fighter like me before. He didn’t want this fight, and it’s for good reason.
“This is my division. I am the man at 140 and once I get this belt, I’m bringing it back to New York and everything runs through me.”
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who is partnering with Puerto Rican promoter Javier Bustillo of Universal Promotions to put on the event, isn’t ready to make a pick between his two guys.
“Liam was sensational when he ripped the strap from Subriel in June in a career-best performance against one of the most avoided fighters in the sport,” Hearn said. “Liam was happy to take on that challenge, and he’s happy to take on another difficult but very different challenge in Richardson.
“I’m fascinated to see how this fight plays out, and while it’s never easy to pit two of our fighters against each other, this is exactly what should be happening in the game — the best versus the best — and for both men it’s the chance to back up what they both say, that they are the man at 140 pounds.”
The undercard is heavy on Puerto Rican talent. Bouts include:
In the 10-round all-island co-feature, junior lightweight Henry Lebron (19-0, 10 KOs), 27, a southpaw, will face former world title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (29-4, 19 KOs), 29.
Flyweight Yankiel Rivera (6-0, 2 KOs), 27, a 2020 Puerto Rican Olympian, will face an opponent to be determined in a 10-rounder.
Welterweight Jalil Hackett (9-0, 7 KOs), 21, of Washington, D.C., will have his second bout since signing with Matchroom Boxing earlier this year in a 10-rounder against Jose Roman (13-1, 6 KOs), 30, of Puerto Rico.
Lightweight up-and-comer Marc Castro (13-0, 8 KOs), 25, of Fresno, California, will face an opponent to be determined over 10 rounds.
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Lemos took the purported "Bogeyman" off of Hitchins. Had him hanging on for dear life lol. Paro gonna end the job by KO, if he follows Gustavo's "Rough and Tumble" template.
Hitchins paro a 50 50 fight hard to pick