Liam Paro has opened up about a “terrifying” period in his life that left him fearing for his career.

In June, the 28-year-old Australian pulled off what will surely go down as one of the surprises of 2024 when he traveled to Puerto Rico as the clear underdog to dethrone IBF junior welterweight world champion Subriel Matias.

His first world title fight came a year after he was supposed to fight his first in Modern Orleans against then WBC champion Regis Prograis, a chance that was ultimately ruined by an Achilles injury so severe that at his lowest point Paro believed he had perhaps had his last fight and began looking for work in a Queensland mine.

Compounding his disappointment, he not only watched Prograis struggle that night, but Danielito Zorrilla – his successor as challenger – struggled just to survive. Prograis struggled again when he fought and lost to Devin Haney in December 2023, while Paro, who impressed by stopping Montana Love on that night’s undercard in San Francisco, could once again only watch and wonder what if.

“It’s crazy,” Paro told BoxingScene. “A year ago – about – I got injured. There was a lot of uncertainty and it was quite a murky period in my career. It was two injuries back to back. You’re never prepared for that. Until you’re taken away – from something you have no control over – it was scary.

“But it just shows – over time, after a year, I’m a world champion. It’s crazy. It’s unsettling, but I think it just makes for better chapters in the book. When it’s all said and done, it just shows that it’s not all that elementary – we’re going to go through tough times and it’s a matter of how you deal with it. It lit a fire in my belly again – taking a break from what I love. I think in a way it was just the world preparing me for this. I really saw how much I loved this.

“I asked my mates in north Queensland about mining and stuff like that. It was the uncertainty that scared me the most. It’s always there in the back of your mind, but when it’s there it’s scary. You’re in a murky place and you’re not ready for it to end like this. I had so much more to do and the title was on the line. It was a lot of emotions and I was lucky my family – my loved ones – were there.

“The main sponsor – I told him I was looking at mines and he said, ‘No way,’ so he helped me. Everything I needed to get through those moments. All I can say is it was murky. Really murky.

“I’m a very positive person, but I got to the point where – it’s just real. It feels so real, and you’re just trying to take it all in. I kept going back to the uncertainty, which was scary. You just had no idea how it was going to happen. As for the Achilles tendon, it was a minor tear – I was lucky enough not to have to have surgery. If I had to have surgery, it would have been two years before I could walk again. The Achilles is not a minor injury, so it was scary. I’ll admit it – it was scary.”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that not only Paro’s career but his life has been transformed. His promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, spoke on Thursday of his desire to stage his first title defence in his hometown of Brisbane or Sydney in November – potentially against the winner of Jack Catterall-Prograis on August 24.

“It was tough,” Paro continued of his presence on the Prograis-Haney undercard. “It was tough to swallow. It was so close — my dream was right there. It was signed; it was sealed. I was preparing for it, and it was just taken away.

“It was crazy. It still blows my mind now – now I’m in the driver’s seat, just a year later. That’s what people don’t see about boxing. That’s how ruthless it is. We put our bodies through their paces for the entertainment of the fans. That’s what they don’t see – that kind of stuff. The injuries and what goes on behind the scenes. But it was crazy. It still blows my mind. It’s just crazy how it all happens. In just a year, the whole world has changed.”

It took almost five years, but Nate Diaz finally got his revenge on Jorge Masvidal in a professional boxing ring on Saturday.

Diaz defeated Masvidal by majority decision in a 10-round bout that headlined the pay-per-view at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Two of the three judges who scored the close fight scored it 98-92 and 97-93 for Diaz, with the third judge scoring it 95-95.

The win was revenge for Diaz’s third-round technical knockout loss to Masvidal in November 2019, when the two met in the UFC’s first BMF title fight. Masvidal won when a doctor ruled Diaz could not continue due to a laceration; Diaz disagreed. After Saturday’s victory, Diaz called for two more rematches, with Jake Paul, who defeated him in boxing last year, and UFC champion Leon Edwards.

“I’m going to kick Jake Paul’s f**king ass and I’m going to fight the highest-ranked boxer I can find,” Diaz said. “My main goal is to be the best fighter in the world, so I want to come back and win a UFC title. [UFC welterweight champion] Leon Edwards, Jake Paul and anyone else are dead.

Masvidal, 39, who ended his MMA career in April but has already hinted at a possible comeback, said he disagreed with the scorecards and demanded a third fight with Diaz.

“I thought I won,” Masvidal said. “I thought I landed the harder shots. We can do it again, it’s 1-1. We’ll find a spot and do it again.”

It was a classic performance from Diaz, who simply overwhelmed Masvidal with volume throughout the 175-pound fight. Masvidal seemed to be landing the heavier punches, but Diaz’s infamous beard held up great and his pace was a weapon for him all night. At times he would laugh and turn his back on Masvidal, and the two continued to land punches until the final bell.

The event, which aired on DAZN and was co-promoted by Diaz’s Real Fight Inc. and Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing, featured other substantial names from the combat sports world, including former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, who lost to Diaz’s longtime teammate Chris Avila.