Puerto Rican IBF super lightweight champion Subriel Matias will be staging a homecoming title bout in his home country of Puerto Rico as he prepares himself for a tough contest with Australian contender Liam Paro. The two have a date arranged will be headlining a Matchroom card on June 15th, and will be fighting at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz set in Abreu, Manati, in Puerto Rico.
The June 15th date marks almost five years since Subriel Matias (20-1, 20 KO’s) last fought in his home country, and will see the IBF super lightweight champion defend his title against his third unbeaten challenger in roughly three years.
27-year old Liam Paro (24-0, 15 KO’s) will be competing in his first-ever world title fight against arguably the biggest puncher in Matias due to his 100% knockout ratio, and is set to be either another opponent that Matias has stopped or knocked out, or only the second opponent to take Matias in the distance regardless of whether he wins or loses.
The super lightweight title bout between the two fighters sets the stage between a pivotal battle in the division as two fighters with contrasting styles go head-to-head in a high-stakes match. Both competitors are likely the best opponents each has faced thus far, with Paro’s more boxer-oriented style having helped him retain an unblemished record.
Notably, Paro heads into his first title fight with the least experienced compared to Matias, who has reigned as the IBF super lightweight champion since February of last year. Having already had two world title fights against contenders, the 31-year old Matias has necessary experience and tools to beckon in a hometown victory.
However, Liam Paro can not be underestimated due to his own ability that has gone relatively untested throughout his career, with his potential only vividly rising to the surface during his last match when he defeated American contender Montana Love (18-2-1, 9 KO’s) by knockout (KO) on December 9th, last year.
Matias’ own record and resume―which has drastically improved during his last two fights―speaks for itself, and with a home nation advantage will have the odds favor him towards a stoppage/knockout win. However, Liam Paro is certainly the “dark horse” in this contest that can easily upset the odds with a decision victory.
The first and only loss that Subriel Matias suffered was against Russian contender Petros Ananyan (18-3-2, 9 KO’s) who scraped by with a unanimous decision (UD) win by relying on his stamina and volume of punches to overcome the Puerto Rican. In Paro, Matias―who went on to revenge his loss to Ananyan by stoppage in a 2022 rematch―faces a craftier and more cautious opponent that can seemingly fight at every range, though prefers boxing from mid- to long distance.
Paro’s recent KO victory Montana Love now sets a precedent that his style of boxing might pose a viable danger to Matias who has thus far not yet faced the likes of Paro, while Liam Paro will also be wary of Matias’ KO power and the fact Matias boasts several undefeated fighters on his record.
Matchroom, who promotes/co-promotes both fighters, is currently in the ideal position now that they will be overseeing a match that will see the IBF title be held by one of their fighters, regardless of a result. The winner might also be headed to a prospective unification match with WBC 140 lbs champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) who is also associated with Matchroom, allowing the event to set the stage for the winner to become a unified champion in the near-future.
