Boxing
Liam Paro adds his name to Australia’s top fighters by ‘proving everyone wrong’ in fight against Subriel Matias
Published
5 months agoon
By
J. HumzaLiam Paro poses for a photo after winning his fight against Subriel Matias at Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Manati, Puerto Rico.
Winning on the road is never effortless.
That’s what made Liam Paro’s weekend IBF junior welterweight title fight against Subriel Matias even more special.
Fighting one of the most risky fighters in boxing, Paro not only had to overcome the bulky hands of Puerto Rican native Matias, but also had to deal with a referee who was clearly determined to force him to lose focus on the fight on Saturday night.
But it’s not only what happens in the ring that can make life arduous for a boxer away from home. Gone are many familiar faces that are usually seen at pre-fight events. The sights and smells are different. The food is different. Even petite things, such as the taste of water or the singing of strange birds, can subtly disrupt a boxer’s preparations.
It was not without reason that the bookmakers considered Paro to be a +600 underdog going into the fight. In his eight-year professional career, the 28-year-old Australian southpaw has never fought anyone remotely close to Matias’ skill set, much less anyone with his famed strength. The Puerto Rican crowd that showed up en masse to fill the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Manati for the titleholder’s first fight in his homeland in nearly five years wanted to make the guy as uncomfortable as possible.
The unfamiliar surroundings did not shock Paro. He soaked up the atmosphere as Matias, wearing yellow and gray shorts and matching yellow gloves, made the long journey to the ring.
Paro, dressed in a black and pink outfit, muted the noise and fought a perfectly controlled fight. True to form, Matias started slowly while Paro kept moving his hands to score points. The player showed diversity in his attack, pecking Matias’ head and then landing mighty shots to the body. He boxed long hours when he could, traded inside when he had to, and choked when the going got tough.
Coach Alfie Di Carlo was a calming influence on the pitch, despite his colorful language. His tactical instructions to Paro were spot on and he eliminated the senseless intrusions of local referee Luis Pabon, keeping his player focused on the task at hand. When things got worse on the sixth voyage, it was Di Carlo who stabilized the ship. And when Pabon scored Paro a point in the seventh set for a phantom violation, no one on the team was able to recover.
It was a classic corner kick, with assistant coach Justin Frost and editor Stephen Edwards providing another two pairs of sheltered hands.
The common opinion before the fight was that Matias, ranked No. 3 by The Ring in the 140-pound weight class, would be mighty in the middle rounds. He was expected to beat Paro to the point of admitting defeat, just as he had his five previous opponents. But Paro turned out to be made of sturdier stuff. He weathered the storm, made subtle adjustments and came home with moist sails, better able to handle the action in the championship rounds.
Paro made sure the crowd didn’t matter. He also ruled out referee Pabon, giving him no reason to further punish him in the fight. And when the final bell rang, only the judges could deprive him of the victory.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
The judges twice scored the fight 116-111 and 115-112, meaning Paro lost no more than four rounds in the 12-round fight.
Paro was joyful. Matias was depressed. After congratulating the up-to-date champion, the 32-year-old former titleholder quickly left the ring. He did not protest against the result.
It was a complete performance by Paro, heralding his entry onto the world stage.
“I went through hell and came back to life,” said Paro (25-0, 15 KO) in the ring after the fight. “I keep proving everyone wrong. I just passed my biggest test and came out on top.
“I knew it would be arduous. Matias is an amazing champion.
“This is my hardest fight so far. He’s tough, man. It hits tough. There’s a reason he has 20 knockouts.
“I knew entering the lion’s den would be hostile. But I always said it would be a better chapter in the book when it was all said and done.
“I have proven that I am at the top here. I just eliminated the boogeyman. I am that man now. I’m the captain. Come and get it.”
One person who would like to come and get it is former champion Matias, who The Ring realizes did not have a rematch clause in his contract.
“I don’t feel like I can say what I want, but if [promoter] “Eddie Hearn says, ‘You have to go to Australia and rematch Liam Paro,’ and I’m going to knock out Liam Paro and do something I wouldn’t be able to do tonight,” Matias (20-2, 20 KO) said after the fight. fight with press conference.
Boxing away from home is nothing up-to-date for Australian fighters. Almost all of the world title challenges for the Antipodes take place on foreign soil. Jimmy Carruthers traveled to South Africa to dethrone world bantamweight champion Vic Toweel in 1952 and win The Ring Championship. In 1968, Lionel Rose followed suit, winning The Ring, WBC and WBA bantamweight championships from the great Fighting Harada promotion in Japan. Johnny Famechon won The Ring and WBC featherweight championship from Jose Legra in England in 1969.
This trend continued for years. Rocky Mattioli won the WBC junior middleweight title against Eckhard Dagge in Germany in 1977, Jeff Harding won the WBC featherlight heavyweight title against Dennis Andries in America in 1989, and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu had to go to the States to win his first world title against IBF junior welterweight boss Jake Rodriguez in 1995.
Flyweight Vic Darchinyan captured both Irene Pacheco’s head and the IBF US title in 2004. Gairy St Clair defeated Malcolm Klassen for the IBF super featherweight title in South Africa in 2006. Daniel Geale and Sam Soliman traveled to Germany to win the IBF Middleweight Championship against Sebastian Silvester and Felix Sturm in 2011 and 2014 respectively.
George Kambosos Jr recently surprised the boxing world with his victory over Teofimo Lopez for The Ring lightweight championship and IBF/WBA/WBO American titles in 2021, the same country where Jason Moloney traveled two years later to become WBO bantamweight champion after defeating Vincent Astrolabio.
Among these victories there are also stories of bad luck, with names such as Paul Ferreri, Hector Thompson, Tony Mundine, Troy Waters, Hussein Hussein, Nedal Hussein, Paul Briggs and Michael Katsidis filling out a much longer list of world title contenders who appeared in the miniature boxing in the opponent’s backyard.
Away wins are simply not effortless to achieve.
Australian fighters have long had a reputation for being “tough but narrow-minded”, and in many cases this reputation is well-deserved. But as recent history has shown, boxers from this immense but sparsely populated continent not only want to get to the large dance, they also want to leave with the homecoming queen.
So which of Paro’s wins over Matias is among the greatest away wins for an Australian boxer?
This, dear reader, is up to you to decide.
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Boxing
The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena
Published
16 hours agoon
November 23, 2024In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Boxing
George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team
Published
1 day agoon
November 23, 2024Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
Boxing
Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul
Published
3 days agoon
November 21, 2024One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
‘MIKE TYSON WON’T FIGHT EVER AGAIN!’ – Gareth A Davies
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