Liam Paro will make his first defense of his IBF light welterweight title against #1 rated Richardson Hitchins on December 7th in Puerto Rico. The fight is in neutral territory for both guys.
For Matchroom to watch the Paro vs. Headlining Hitchins fight in Puerto Rico, it suggests former IBF 140-lb champion Subriel Matias could be on the undercard. The Aussie, Paro 25-0, 15 KOs) defeated Matias by a 12-round unanimous decision on June 15 in Manati, Puerto Rico.
Hitchins (18-0, 7 KOs) and Paro are both promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom company. So, it’s a natural battle to make. The 27-year-old Hitchins is coming off a controversial 12-round unanimous decision over Gustavo Lemos in April in Las Vegas.
Fans on social media disagreed with the results and believed that Lemos deserved a clear victory. Indeed, people booed the decision, feeling that the judges gave Lemos a bad deal.
Hearn signed Richardson to his company in September 2022, and he has won four fights since joining his Matchroom stable. However, the last two against Jose Pedraza and Lemos were boring, with Hitchins fighting defensively in a Shakur style. Both fights were booed.
It is unclear why Hearn signed Shakur Stevenson when he already had an exact copy of his style with Hitchins. It was an odd move by Hearn as he hasn’t been hyping Hitchins much recently, suggesting to some that his enthusiasm for this fighter has cooled.
Paro also did not look entertaining in his last fight against Subriel Matias. There was a moving, clinch, thrust and pot shots from Paro to win that fight. It wasn’t must-see TV entertainment, but Paro had to fight like that because when he stood and fought, he worked through the heavy-handed Matias.
“Liam Paro will defend his IBF junior welterweight title against Richardson Hitchins on December 7 in Puerto Rico. Paro returns to PR, where he won the title in June with a huge upset over Subriel Matias. Neutral ground for both boxers,” said Mike Coppinger X.
“Hitchins was in talks to fight Jose Pedraza, but Eddie Hearn finalized a matchup between two of his top 140-pounders instead.”
