Australian fighter Liam Paro has become the new International Boxing Federation (IBF) super lightweight champion after overcoming his pre-match status as an underdog to defeat Puerto Rican opponent Subriel Matias, who lost IBF his title to Paro. Headlining on a Matchroom card, the two fighters fought over the course of 12 rounds that Paro won soundly by unanimous decision (UD) at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu, Manati, in Matias’ home country of Puerto Rico. Matias further made his Matchroom debut during his contest.
Australia can celebrate as a new world champion has emerged from their nation following Liam Paro’s (25-0, 15 KO’s) victory over IBF super lightweight (140 lbs) champion Subriel Matias (20-2, 20 KO’s). Prior to the match, Paro was expected to lose by a wide margin, but the Australian caused a palpable upset with his UD victory over Matias.
Matias, best known for his 100% knockout ratio, proved that boxing was about more than just power as Paro’s highly-lauded skills came to full display against the Puerto Rican fighter. This was made more vivid when taking into account Paro was the away fighter as he was fighting in Matias’ home country.
The first couple of rounds were defined by Liam Paro’s greater activity; a common trend when boxers such as Paro fight power punchers such as Matias who prefer to wait for the right opportunity to strike. Paro’s jabs were perhaps the defining factor, being the most-used attack in the Ausralian’s arsenal and applied constantly to force Matias to bring up his gloves to defend.
As the rounds went on, Paro’s activity only rose further―to the detriment of Subriel Matias who as a notoriously slow starter seemed incapable of adapting to the better-conditioned and hyper-active Liam Paro. Matias did retaliate several times with his signature short but hard punches that has led to his100% knockout ratio, but the Puerto Rican simply did not do much throughout the entire match to make a difference. While Matias did land power punches, Paro’s chin proved to be tough and the Australian never shied away from responding with his own blows whenever hit.
Liam Paro also appeared to have the better gameplan by miles, venturing between pressuring and counter-attacking Matias to keep the Puerto Rican champion guessing as to Paro’s next move. The Australian’s tactics therefore proved to be frustrating to Subriel Matias who rarely found the range or opportunity to let loose combinations as opposed to Paro who seemed well-capable of attacking Matias at any range.
Following the requisite 12 rounds for the IBF title bout, Paro was announced the winner by unanimous decision to claim Matias’ IBF belt for himself; marking the first time Paro became a world champion. The humongous achievement was made even more magnanimous when taken into consideration that Paro fought in Matias’ home country.
Concerns have now mounted for Subriel Matias in regards to his ability to compete with several of his shortcomings having been highlighted in his June 15th match against Paro that makes him susceptible to fighters known for their boxing ability and skills; fighters that are quite abundant in the super lightweight division. Though only 32 years of age, it will be a tough journey for Matias to develop the necessary skills where his activity in the ring can match the power, and the deterioration of his “boogeyman” status in the division which arguably made him considered to be the best fighter in his weight class.
In comparison, the 28-year old Liam Paro may be soaring to the top of the division following his victory; with the many opportunities lurking ahead suggesting he has a bright future ahead of him. While Paro will be expected to defend his title against a mandatory opponent for his next fight, there are opportunities for him to unify. American WBC 140 lbs champion Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KO’s) will be facing Spanish mandatory challenger Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KO’s) in the near future and will likely be the best candidate for Paro to face given both fighters are aligned with Matchroom.
The rest of the Matchroom cards featured plenty of other matches with most notably the undercard 140 lbs fight between Mexican contender Angel Fierro (22-2-2, 17 KO’s) and Dominican fighter Alfredo Santiago (15-2, 6 KO’s) grabbing attention as Santiago grabbed an upset UD win to proclaim his own rising status as a potential world title challenger.
The co-main event, featuring Puerto Rican flyweight (112 lbs) prospect/contender Yankiel Rivera Figueroa (6-0, 2 KO’s) and the widely-more experienced Mexican contender Victor Efrain Sandoval (37-5, 23 KO’s) also saw Figueroa win by UD to validate his credentials as one of the best modern-day prospects to come out of Puerto Rico.
