Exactly 200 days removed from his first professional defeat, a 12-round decision loss by
Richardson Hitchins in Puerto Rico, former IBF junior welterweight world champion
Liam Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) targets an emphatic promotional debut tomorrow under the No Limit Boxing banner, where the Aussie's future prospects are promising.
Paro, who has ventured halfway across the world in attempts to breakthrough into the mainstream as fellow former world junior middleweight titleholder Tim Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs) did, will headline Queensland's Convention Centre in Cairns, Australia. The Paro-Navarro broadcast is set to begin at 7pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (5am ET, 10am BST).
The lowdown
Having inked a one-fight deal with No Limit Boxing and returning to home comforts, Paro will be enthused about his options as a highly-ranked former champion if he's able to showcase exactly why he skilfully dethroned boogeyman
Subriel Matias this time last year.
That is, provided he does a job on Californian contender
Jonathan Navarro (18-1, 9 KOs), armed with partner Andrea and their two young daughters on away soil. He too returns after losing his unbeaten record in December, the 28-year-old relishing the spoiler role and keen to produce what
Michigan middleweight Joey Spencer recently couldn't Down Under.
Paro, The Ring's No. 5-ranked junior welterweight contender, sits at No. 4 with the WBO and IBF while being ranked three places lower by the WBC. Navarro is unranked by the four major sanctioning bodies and represents a steady if unspectacular touch back for the 29-year-old in a welcome homecoming after his last two appearances in 'beautiful' Puerto Rico.
After a 'humbling' defeat by Hitchins, Paro watched one-time unified lightweight champion
George Kambosos Jr suffer a damaging stoppage defeat by a former foe constantly growing in confidence and with lucrative unification possibilities now on the table.
Paro bullishly told BoxingScene: "The intention is we move on; dust ourselves off, go again, get another belt. Hitchins has already said in previous interviews that he believes he'll see me in a unification in the future. That's what we're doing, until I've got some more pulling power... I'll avenge that loss eventually. I know I'm very definitely capable of doing so.
"The fact he [Navarro] knows what's on the table for him – if he was to get the job done it's gonna skyrocket his career immensely, and it's to put me right back into title contention."
Navarro hasn't boxed at world-level as a pro yet, but will be hoping his performance is more
Keith Thurman-esque than
Claudio Squeo in Australia. Having shared the ring with WBC junior middleweight titlist Sebastian Fundora and WBC interim lightweight champion William Zepeda as an amateur, the well-schooled challenger would love nothing more than to bounce back after a 97-93 decision loss by Jair Valtierra in Waterford, Ireland last time out.
The pair weighed in at an unofficial 144-pound catchweight for what is officially a ten-round welterweight matchup, headlining a card featuring former world junior lightweight title challenger
Liam Wilson (15-3, 8 KOs). An intriguing tussle between unbeaten light-heavyweights Kirra Ruston and Kartik Kumar, listed as a cruiserweight clash, also features.
Full weights, are as follows
Welterweight, 10 rounds: Liam Paro (143.75lbs) vs. Jonathan Navarro (143.25lbs)
Junior lightweight, 10 rounds: Liam Wilson (129.74) vs. Ayrton Osmar Gimenez (129.23)
Six rounds
Light heavyweight: Callum Peters (162.84) vs. Luca Lanigan (170.56)
Cruiserweight: Kirra Ruston (178.77) vs. Kartik Kumar (180.72)
Featherweight: Vegas Larfield (125.45) vs. Bryan Cabrillos (124.05)
Welterweight: Aaron Stahl (146.49) vs. Caden Russo (145.97)
Four rounds
Heavyweight: Thomas Warria (242.70) vs. Ricky Sandral (231.28)
Middleweight: Laphya Reuben (158.61) vs. Quinton Smith (159.39)