Liam Paro says Richardson Hitchins is known as a ‘quitter’ and he’ll take him to dark places tomorrow night in the first defense of his IBF World Junior Welterweight title at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live worldwide on DAZN.
Paro (25-0 15 KOs) returns to his happy hunting ground of Puerto Rico, where in June he ripped the IBF strap from 140lb bogeyman Subriel Matias on the best night of his life in the paid ranks to date.
The Australian has been bullish in the build-up that there is no way mandatory challenger Hitchins (18-0 7 KOs) will emulate his feat of dethroning the champion, and with the memories of his triumph still fresh in his mind, Paro is eager to create more tomorrow night.
“It’s a beautiful place with beautiful people, and I hope to win more fans again second time around,” said Paro. “It still leaves me speechless and gives me tingles in my body every time I think about it, I just want to keep living those moments and leave a good legacy in the game.
“Talk doesn’t burn me up because I know what I can do in the ring and I know what I am about, so I don’t need to tell people what I am about. We’ve heard numerous times from people that he’s a quitter, and once a quitter, always a quitter. I’m definitely going to test that and we’ll see if he’s about it.
“I’ve been through hell and back outside the ring, I’ve lost close people, I’ve been through things in my life that’s harder than a fight mentally, so it shapes me into the fighter that I am and everyone knows my mind is the strongest thing and you can’t beat me when it comes to the mental game. It gives me the true grit in the ring and the hunger, it’s going to be hard to defeat a man like that and I am blessed to have that and those hard times in life have shaped me into the man I am today and that’s who I am, a true warrior and a modern-day gladiator.
“He likes to talk, I think that’s just covering up his own insecurities, but we’re going to see tomorrow night. Everyone knows what I bring to the table, let’s see if he’s about what he says.
“The day I retire is the day I live as a champion because I will always have that contender mindset, and there’s more and more to achieve, I have that drive and hunger, and it’s going to be Paro time for a long time. I have self-belief, I don’t have to try to promote that to the world or let everyone know, I just show it.
“It’s going to be the first time I’m going to face a track star but we’ve done the right things in the gym to cut the ring off and make it a really hard and long night for him in there. I want no excuses, I’m going to take him to some very, very dark places tomorrow night.
“He’s unstable, he’s emotional on Twitter, he has to sell to the people, but not just that, to himself too, telling himself he’s got that X factor. But all we see is talk. No disrespect, he’s a good boxer, but he stinks out arenas, none of his fights yet have proved that he is what he says he is, tomorrow night, meet me in the middle of the ring, don’t run, and prove not just to me but to the world that you’ve got it. Keep that energy and give the Puerto Rican people what they deserve, a fight. Don’t run. Don’t stink it out, they don’t deserve it.”
Paro’s clash with Hitchin is part of a stacked night of action in San Juan, with the co-feature an all-Puerto Rican clash between Henry Lebron (19-0 10 KOs) and Christopher Diaz (29-5 19 KOs) as Lebron returns to his homeland for the first time in five years and does so in the biggest night of his career, as the #4 in the IBF looks to press his claims for World title action in 2025 with a big win over a domestic rival and pick up the vacant IBF Latino and WBO NABO titles in the process. Diaz sits pretty at #7 in the WBA, has already tasted World title action and is hungry to do so again, and ‘Pitufo’ puts his WBA Continental Latin America title on the line in a pivotal clash for the immediate futures of both.
Puerto Rican Olympian Yankiel Rivera will take on Angel Gonzalez for the vacant WBC Silver, WBA Continental Americas and WBO Intercontinental Flyweight titles
Rivera (6-0 2 KOs) is handily placed in the rankings at #3 with the WBA, #9 with the WBC and #11 with the WBO, and fights at home for the second time in 2024 having seen off the experienced Victor Sandoval over ten rounds in June in Manati, defending the WBA strap and adding the WBO belt.
The 27 year old will be looking to rubber stamp his World title credentials for a shot in 2025, but Gonzalez (14-0 7 KOs) will be out to spoil those plans in the biggest fight of his career. The 31 year old with Puerto Rican roots landed the NABF title at 112lbs in June in Connecticut, and can catapult himself into the World title mix with victory in December.
Jalil Hackett will aim so show once again that he has no fear in the infancy of his career as he travels to Puerto Rico for a title defense. Hackett (9-0 7 KOs) was impressive in a big step up to win the WBA Continental Americas Welterweight title on his Matchroom debut against Peter Dobson in July, and ‘Major’ will defend that title in another real test against Puerto Rico’s former amateur standout Jose Roman (13-1 6 KOs).
Marc Castro and Stephanie Pineiro have confirmed opponents for the night, with Castro (13-0 8 KOs) tackling Agustin Quintana (20-1-2 13 KOs) over ten rounds at Lightweight, and Pineiro (7-0 2 KOs) meeting Ogleidis Suarez (30-5-1 14 KOs) over eight rounds Welterweight.
Puerto Rico’s Juan Zayas (10-0-1 8 KOs) takes on Dominican Geraldo Valdez (16-2 11 KOs) over eight rounds at Bantamweight and Matchroom’s Puerto Rican talent William Ortiz (6-0 4 KOs) faces fellow unbeaten Puerto Rican Lionell Colon (6-0 3 KOs) over eight rounds at Super-Lightweight.
