Liam Paro shocked the world when he became the IBF world super lightweight champion after putting on a boxing masterclass against Subriel Matias.
In truth, Matias was considered to be the bogeyman at 140 lbs, with all of his 20 victories ending in emphatic fashion.
And yet, Paro flew over to Puerto Rico – Matias’ backyard – and outboxed the dangerous puncher over 12, one-sided rounds, scoring one of this year’s biggest upsets.
Now, the slick southpaw will return to the South American nation – a region steeped in boxing history – for his mandatory title defence against unbeaten American Richardson Hitchins on December 7.
Liam Paro insists that Devin Haney ‘outpriced himself’
Shortly after his monumental victory over Matias, Paro had swiftly become hot property in the super lightweight division.
In fact, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, had mentioned that they were in talks with Devin Haney to stage a homecoming show for Paro in Australia.
However, before long, Haney had turned his attention back to his former opponent Ryan Garcia, filing a lawsuit – alleging battery, fraud and unjust enrichment – against the 25-year-old.
Nevertheless, Paro believes that Devin Haney never truly wanted to fight him, but still doesn’t rule out a clash with the American down the line.
“He called me out, [and] I responded straight away,” Paro told FightHype. “Like I said: ‘I’ll fight anyone.’
“I’ve wanted that fight for a long time. You’ve seen that he outpriced himself for that fight, asking for silly money. He doesn’t bring a belt to the table so, look, we just moved on.
“We could tell he wasn’t serious about it, so we just moved on to our mandatory [Hitchens]. [The Haney fight] is in the future but, like I am with every other fight – 25 other times – [I have] tunnel vision on my next opponent.”
Richardson Hitchins sends chilling warning to Liam Paro
Hitchens has delivered the first meaningful blow on social media, warning Paro with a message that could spark a heated build-up between the pair.
The 27-year-old comes off a strong performance against Gustavo Daniel Lemos, utilizing his quick feet and ring generalship to outpoint the sturdy Argentinian.
This victory followed an even more comprehensive display against super lightweight veteran Jose Zepeda who, like Lemos, was put on the end of a sharp, authoritative jab.
And so, it would seem that Paro and Hitchens – two skilful technicians – are likely to engage in an intriguing chess match when they collide for the IBF crown.