Paro vs. Hitchins Preview
The IBF junior welterweight title will be on the line Saturday, December 7th in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Champion Liam Paro will defend his belt against Richardson Hitchins in a 12-round fight.
Paro (25-0, 15 KO) won the title in his last fight with a unanimous decision victory over Subriel Matias. The champion talked about how important it is to have a great fight against Hitchins. “You know, we got a lot of good current champions [in Australia],” Paro said. “To keep my reign as current champion, it’s huge. It means a lot, especially if you wanna have those massive homecoming fights in Australia next year. They’re definitely gonna have more pulling power with this belt. So, it’s very important, not only to me, but to all of Australian boxing, to keep winning these big fights and getting those big fights over to Australia next year.”
The Australian knows what he is up against in Hitchins. “It would mean the world to me,” Paro said. “I’ve always wanted the target on my back, and I’ve got that now. We’re taking on a mandatory [challenger]. You know, there’s no easy fights. My résumé speaks for itself. We’re taking on another undefeated guy. He’s a good boxer, a well-credited boxer, I would say. And I’m keen to show the world that I’m gonna be here for a long time to come. It’s really exciting.”
Paro was linked to a fight with Devin Haney before signing the contract to fight Hitchins. With a win he will set himself up for big fights especially in his home country of Australia.
Hitchins (17-0, 7 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Jose Zepeda in September. The 27-year-old is fighting for his first title on Saturday. He talked about his approach to fighting Paro and what he learned from his last fight.
“Richardson Hitchins wins this fight by showing he’s a world-level fighter, like I’ve done every other fight,” Hitchins said. “My last fight, a lotta criticism came from the fight. People seen the fight close. I don’t believe that I lost the fight. … But I think that my last fight was definitely an experience to show me you do everything right as a professional, especially with nutrition and listening to the right people, making weight the right way. And I said that’s why I gotta respect Liam, because Liam one of them guys, he’s not gonna f*** off.”
The Brooklyn native continued, “Like with me in my last fight, ‘I’mma eat whatever I want and I’m not doing the IBF [second-day weigh-in].’ And my manager, Keith [Connolly], was like, ‘No, we gotta be professional. You gotta lose the weight the day before the fight.’ So, this fight I came in more experienced, more seasoned. I’m doing everything right. So, like I said, for me to win the fight it’s not by any means necessary. It’s by showing I’m at a world-class level. Liam never been in the ring with an opponent like me. I’mma say it now, and he will be saying it after the fight.”
Both fighters are confident heading into the fight but the champion believes he is more composed than Hitchins. “If you watch any of his videos, he contradicts himself over and over again,” Paro said. “It just shows the emotions take over. He’s not even realizing what he’s saying. He’s back and forth, like a tennis match. It is what it is. If it boosts him up enough to step through them ropes, and stand across from me in the ring, that’s all that matters. He can say all he wants. Talk is cheap. Everyone knows Liam Paro goes in there and gets it done with action.”
The main card will start at 9:00pm EST on DAZN.
