On June 17, the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, will be the venue for the much-awaited super lightweight championship between undefeated Australian fighter Liam Paro (23-0, 14 KOs) and WBC champion Regis Prograis. Paro plans to score a massive upset and win the WBC title on his opponent’s home soil.
Paro described the call he received offering him a title shot against Prograis as a “dream call.” He has been preparing with that same energy, and he is determined to make the most of this opportunity and win the fight.
A southpaw from Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Paro has won all his professional bouts since his debut against Jacob Mahony in 2016 via unanimous decision. Paro’s most recent fight was in October 2022 against Brock Jarvis, which ended in a knockout victory.
Paro was scheduled to fight British boxer Robbie Davies Jr on March 11 in Liverpool, England, but he had to withdraw from the bout due to a facial fracture sustained during training camp. He has fully recovered and will be competing in the United States for the second time in his career after his debut in December 2021 against Yomar Alamo.
Paro feels that winning the WBC title would be an incredible accomplishment for him and would also follow in the footsteps of Kostya Tszyu, another Australian who won the same title in the same division in August 1999.
Despite his enthusiasm, Paro is under no illusions that this championship bout will be a straightforward affair. He acknowledges that Prograis is the reigning WBC super lightweight world champion and the man to beat in the division.
Paro spoke of his ambition to take down the top guy in the division during an interview with Fighthype, where he was quoted saying, “There is no better way to make my introduction to 140-pound by taking out the top guy, and I believe I can do so, and look, it’s not going to be easy, but that’s a world title fight, and to get my hand raised at the end of this one would mean the world.”
The fight’s announcement was formalized by Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, with Prograis envisioning a successful title defense several times before attempting to unify the division. Paro, however, feels that Prograis is overlooking him, and he has his sights firmly set on shattering the champion’s dreams. Paro is confident that he can crush Prograis’ hopes in front of his friends, family, and fans in his backyard.