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Modern champion Liam Paro was ‘terrified’ his career was over

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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.”

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Boxing

Tyson Fury enters his rematch with Usyk in destruction mode

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TYSON Fury says he approaches fights no differently now than when he was a youthful, rising boxer. He is currently training for the biggest moment of his life, after losing his undefeated record to Oleksandr Usyk in a May thriller, and as he approaches the age of 40, the self-proclaimed “Gypsy King” believes that a change of plans will lead him to revenge on December 21.

“I’m going to go into destroy mode now. The last time I went to box with him, I was careful and boxed [the] head straight for it. Let’s talk about the facts,” Fury buzzed.

“Anyone can get caught, which we see in a lot of heavyweight fights. But this time I won’t decide on points. I’m going to knock the motherfucker out.

Taking time during camp to chat in the TNT Sports studio, Tyson agreed with boxing specialist Steve Bunce that he is now fit, in good shape and willing to perform where it counts, even though the fight is almost three months away.

“I’m ready to rock and roll. Look, I don’t need a 12-week camp. I’ve been boxing all my life. I’m ready to leave tonight, tomorrow, next weekend, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday. It doesn’t really matter. I can get into the ring with 30 stones and do 15 rounds.

“I’m a natural at it. All I need is five or six weeks of sparring, this time good sparring, where I don’t have a wound that’s going to open up. We were very worried about the cut at camp because that cut came with a huge payout. And the cut didn’t even matter in the fight.”

That same week, he admitted his corner team would likely remain unchanged for the return leg in Riyad. The 36-year-old Tyson comprehensively addressed the issue of the laceration that caused initial confusion in the Usyks’ first fight, and the recovery became a race against time.

“Just three months, 12 weeks earlier, I had a 16-inch cut on my left eye that needed to heal. I’m not sure how long it takes for the wound to heal. I mean, how long? Fury asked Anthony Crolla for answers.

“It took maybe seven or eight weeks for the wound to heal and then another six or seven weeks of training. But there is always a risk that it will open and then you will lose your large fortune, you know what I mean?

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Noel Mikaeljan-Ryan Rozicki’s WBC title fight postponed to December 7 in Sydney, Nova Scotia

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It wasn’t a great afternoon for #PurseBidHeads, but it was a great afternoon for Ryan Rozicki and his team.

The Ring has confirmed that an eleven-hour agreement has been reached regarding Rozicki’s rescheduled bout with WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaeljan. Their oft-delayed title fight is now set for December 7 at Center 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Don King Productions and Three Lions Promotions, promoters of Mikaeljan and Rozicki respectively, reached an agreement on Friday afternoon. Minutes before the scheduled bidding hearing, which was subsequently canceled, an agreement was reached.

Mikaejan (27-2, 12 knockouts) will now have to travel to Rozicki’s hometown for his first title defense.

“We managed to get a deal done with Don King minutes before the deadline, Three Lions Promotions president Daniel Otter told The Ring. “We are very excited to bring the world title to Canada.

“Ryan is ready to become a world champion and can’t wait to get in the ring.”

This enthusiasm could not be appreciated enough.

Mikaeljan-Rozicki has already been postponed four times. Problems have arisen since a cut Mikaeljan suffered during training camp wiped out their planned June 7 fight date.

The last attempt to reschedule occurred on September 28 during Don King’s performance at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida. However, the program was immediately canceled without any explanation from King’s office.

This resulted in insolvency in the eyes of the WBC, which re-ordered the title fight and sent the matter to a bidding hearing. For now, the sanctioning authority is satisfied with the latest result.

“It’s going to be an unbelievable fight,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Ring. “I am delighted that the WBC cruiserweight title fight will take place in the ring before the end of this year.”

The fight venue is a real home match for Rozicki (20-1, 19 KO).

The building’s primary residents are the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.

Rozicki (20-1, 19 KO) also regularly appears at the stadium. He headlined or featured prominently in all six boxing events that took place at this location in the 21st century. The last time he scored a first-round knockout was Mario Aguilar (23-9, 19 KO) in December 2022.

Rozicki’s impressive record as he emerged as mandatory challenger to the WBC cruiserweight title was added to by four consecutive knockout victories. Several delays in the title fight have kept him out of the ring since he knocked out Olanrewaju Durodola (46-10, 41 KO) in the first round on December 3 last year in Sydney.

All told, the 29-year-old has won seven straight matches since losing to Oscar Rivas in October 2021. Their fierce fight was the inaugural fight for the WBC bridgeweight title.

His previously scheduled challenge for Mikaeljan’s title would be the first fight of Rozicki’s career outside Canada.

Now it’s Mikaeljan who goes on tour and fights in another promoter’s program.

Mikaeljan, rated No. 2 out of 200 by The Ring, won the belt with a third-round knockout of former champion Ilunga Makabu in his adopted hometown of Miami. The 33-year-old Armenian remains the only busy player in King’s current promotional lineup.

Rozicki is number 8 in the rankings of The Ring organization.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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Tyson Fury says he needs to stop Oleksandr Usyk to win

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For Tyson Fury, there are parallels between his multi-fight rivalry with Deontay Wilder, which lasted from December 2018 to October 2021, and a potential multi-fight rivalry with Oleksandr Usyk.

He hopes that in the case of Usyk it will end in three fights, which will mean that Fury will win the rematch, which will take place on December 21 in Riyad. He also knows, after his experience with Wilder, that on December 21 he must do more than just box to victory and rely on the three judges in the ring to officially give him the victory.

Of course, in the match against Wilder, Fury drew a controversial draw the first time, which he later corrected with two stoppage victories. However, against Usyk in May, Fury did not resent the judges’ opinion (correct this time), but instead his own inability to dominate Usyk and prevent the fight from lasting so long. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake the second time. The second time around, he will rely on the momentum he experiences in the fight rather than taking it for granted.

“It’s no secret that I’m going there to knock him out because I don’t think that no matter what I do, I won’t get a decision,” said Fury, 34-1-1 (24). interview with Undisputed. “I don’t think I’ll get a boxing decision, so I’ll have to take my hand off the judges like I did back then in America. I have to get him out of there.

Eliminating Oleksandr Usyk is easier said than done. In his professional career spanning 22 fights and 11 years, the brilliant Ukrainian has never been close to defeat, let alone stopped. Moreover, his intelligence and counter-attacking ability are so great that the risk of stopping Usyk forever increases due to his ability to operate his opponent’s aggression and ambition against him. For this reason, and because of his durability, few opponents even considered the prospect of stopping Usyk, 22-0 (14). For this reason, Tyson Fury, despite his size and record in previous rematches, will need to deliver the performance of his life to become the first man to do so.

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