Aussie champ ready to ‘shock the world’ against old sparring partner
Liam Paro is ready to “shock the world again” as he prepares for a blockbuster welterweight unification bout against American superstar Devin Haney.
After the popular Australian claimed the IBF welterweight title, he finds himself in a stacked division that also includes Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez.
Liam Paro celebrates his win over Lewis Crocker. Getty
Now, just days before Christmas, the 30-year-old Queenslander will travel across to San Francisco to face Haney, who holds the WBO gold.
Paro spoke to media in Sydney and said there was a period where the Haney fight had “drifted away” but now that it’s a reality, he’s more than ready to add to his resume against a world-renowned fighter on December 20 (AEDT) on a card that will now also feature Paulo Aokuso after his dominant win on Friday night.
“Until it’s signed and sealed, it’s just all talk,” Paro said.
"They drifted away trying to get other fights, obviously they thought [they could get] bigger opportunities … but that fizzled out. It's given us an extra four or five weeks to sharpen the tools and we'll be ready to shock the world once again.
"I'm making about five times the [amount of] money in this one fight and that's what it's about. I've always said boxing is 50/50, one punch can change your life.
“You’ve seen what I did to Brock Jarvis in one round, so if I could do that to Haney - he’s been wobbled before – I’ll throw a Hail Mary and sail off into the sunset.
"It's about testing yourself, I'm 30 years old now and I've won two world titles, so now it's time to stack the chips properly."
Paro (28-1) first stunned the world when he travelled to Puerto Rico and defeated Subriel Mattias to claim the super-lightweight title in enemy territory.
The only blemish on Paro’s career record was a loss to Richardson Hitchins, but since moving to welterweight the tough Mackay brawler has found his mojo.
His unanimous decision victory over Lewis Crocker in June was one of the great Aussie triumphs and now, Paro looks to do what countryman George Kambosos failed to do twice – beat the classy and world-renowned Haney.
Paro and Haney have history together, having spent “close to 100 rounds” sparring in the gym before their careers skyrocketed over the past few years.
“He doesn’t have the persona like the boogeyman, he’s not a scary guy like that, I’ve shared the ring with him and he’s no Mattias,” the Aussie said.
“Sparring is sparring though you know, I haven’t sparred him for going on four years now and I’ve won two world titles since then. I’ve gotten better as a fighter and he’s done the same ... but if anything, he’s been exposed, been dropped.
Liam Paro and Devin Haney. Getty
“Don’t believe everything you see on the socials – that’s 30 seconds of hundreds of minutes of sparring. We’re pretty familiar, but at the same time, four years on now I’ve skyrocketed as a fighter since then, I’ve done a lot more.
“I’m excited to get in there and show the world why I belong at the top.”
Paro believes a win in San Francisco against one of the world’s best would go down as “one of the biggest wins in Australian boxing” and also challenged Haney to bring the “firefight” once the bell rings in their world title clash.
“I believe Haney is one of the hardest tasks, just his style, you know, he’s not going to be there to engage,” he explained.
“He said he’s looking for a knockout, so I encourage him to be a firefighter. I can guarantee I’ll beat him in a firefight, but I know he’s not gonna do that.”
