by Keith Idek
Among the things Richardson Hitchins has said that mean a little to Liam Parro is that Hitchins has beaten a higher level of opposition than him.
Paro noted in an interview with Boxing News that while Hitchins was “hidden” in the IBF rankings from the fight with the “so-called boogeyman” Subriel Mathias, the South Australian was happy to take the title on June 15. Paro gambled more in Brisbane when he upset the punishing Puerto Rican boxer with a unanimous decision win. IBF welterweight title.
Paro (25-0, 15 KOs) is scheduled to make the first defense of his IBF belt against Hitchins (18-0, 7 KOs), his mandatory challenger, on Saturday night at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 12-round, 140-pound title bout between Paro, 28, and Hitchins, 27, is the main event of the card, which airs on DAZN at midnight GMT in the UK (7pm ET in the US).
The inspired Paro returned to Matias Island for a second straight fight nearly six months after he surprisingly withstood Matias’ power, beating him on all three blank cards at the Jose Abreu Coliseum in Manatee, Puerto Rico.
“Matias is a hell of a champion,” Paro told Boxing News. “I was so blessed to share a ring with him in Puerto Rico. We have said this for a long time – we believe in our skills, we know what we have and we just show the world and convince them. What better way to do it than with the so-called boogeyman at that time?
“He forced five people to leave the bench. No one wanted to fight him. No one else raised their hands. Hitchins was one of them, hidden in the IBF rankings. Everyone was silent and no one was saying his name. But we are real fighters and we just showed what we are capable of. And, as I said, we believed and showed the world what we knew.”
Referee Luis Pabon deducted one point from Paro for a seventh-round stoppage against Matias (21-2, 21 KOs). Paro won by five points according to referee John Basile (116-111) and according to the scorecards of judges Gerardo Martinez (115-112) and Carl Zappia (115-112). Matias entered the ring as an 8-1 favorite over Paro, whose handicaps have made him a slight favorite to defeat Brooklyn Hitchins, a pure boxer who is taller and longer than the reigning champion.
“Look, it was a tough fight,” Paro said of beating Matias. “We knew what we were up against. I said that up front. We knew the task ahead, and it was a big one. But that just makes it a better chapter in the book. I’ll live the rest of my life as a champion for it and took the respect we deserve. But we still get it around the world and I keep working that December 7th.”
