Liam Paro sends title statement in bloody ‘destruction' after fellow Aussie bolsters rematch bid

News.com.au

3 days ago

Australia's Liam Paro has declared himself ready to take on some of the sport's biggest names after scoring a brutal stoppage win over Jonathan Navarro – which lacerated the tough American's nose and likely broke his orbital.
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Making his hyped No Limit debut in Cairns, Paro dropped Navarro in the fifth round with a big left hand and then, after his rival beat the count, finished the round battering him against the ropes.
Tellingly, Navarro would not come out for the sixth, with pictures of his corner showing a pool of blood beneath his stool.
Fighting for the first time since losing his IBF super lightweight title, Paro now looks set to be pitched straight back into world title contention.
Already this week, No Limit CEO George Rose told Fox Sports Australia of a hitlist for his client that includes names like Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia and Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz.
Importantly, the star Mackay southpaw wants the same.
'I want another belt,' Paro said immediately afterwards. 'Two time champion has a ring to it'.
Paro's brutal finish capped off an exciting night in north Queensland.
In the co-main, Australia's Liam Wilson punched his way back into world title contention – and potentially, another shot at Mexican superstar Emanuel Navarrete – after earning a tough win over slick Argentinian Ayrton Gimenez.
While Gimenez appeared filthy with the judges' scorecards afterwards, Wilson accused his rival of spending much of the fight 'on his bike' and then called out WBO super featherweight king Navarrete.
Already, No Limit CEO George Rose has said that if Navarrete gets through his next defence against Charly Suarez, he then wants to bring the Mexican Down Under for Wilson -- a rematch of their contentious 2023 encounter.
Elsewhere on the undercard, rising Australian stars Callum Peters and Kirra Ruston both enjoyed brutal stoppage wins, with the later posting a potential Knockout of the Year contender.
For Paro, the win proved he is definitely back after losing the IBF crown to Richardson Hitchins last December.
'First and foremost, all glory to God,' Paro told Main Event's Ben Damon in the ring immediately afterwards.
And from there, he shouted: 'North Queensland, I'm back'.
Isn't he what?
First round, it was a composed Paro who landed solidly with his left hand.
By the end of the round, there was also drama for Navarro, who was bleeding heavily from a head cut and complaining its cause had been a headbutt.
However referee Chris Condon ruled that the gash had been caused by a punch.
While the American's corner did a strong job of stopping the bleeding between rounds, and in the second saw Navarro go back to work, it was the Australian who started to surge.
In the third, Paro began to assert his dominance, not only throwing more prominently but enjoying great success with the straight left, and also at one point a strong right hook.
By the fourth, the boisterous crowd were now chanting for Paro as again the Queenslander scored regularly against a Los Angeles rival who, while continually try to land a big right hand, had few answers for what was coming his way.
The end then came in the fifth.
With Navarro first dropped by Paro and then, at the end of the round, appearing only to be held up by the ropes.
Main Event's Ben Damon called it 'destruction' from Paro in commentary.
'He's a mess,' Damon said of Navarro after round five.
WILSON BOOSTS BID FOR LONG-AWAITED REMATCH
Liam Wilson punched his way back into world title contention – and potentially, another shot at Mexican superstar Emanuel Navarrete – after earning a tough win over slick Argentinian Ayrton Gimenez.
Fighting in the co-main to Liam Paro's hyped No Limit debut, 29-year-old Wilson was made to work hard for his decision win against a slick rival who the Aussie suggested afterwards was 'on his bike' for chunks of the bout.
'But I wouldn't say he was scared,' the Queenslander continued of what was eventually a win on all three scorecards 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.
'That's his style. He's a good boxer.'
Immediately after the fight, Gimenez raised his hands into the air triumphantly, before then being hoisted up by his ecstatic trainer who also seemed convinced of victory.
Certainly Wilson appeared to control chunks of the fight, pushing his rival onto the back foot and landing heavy.
However, there was also no doubting the Argentinian, a slick mover who had plenty of his own moments, made it a competitive fight.
Immediately afterwards, Wilson said he now wanted a rematch with Navarrete, should the Mexican superstar get through his next mandated defence.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, No Limit boss George Rose confirmed discussions were already underway to bring the WBO super featherweight king Down Under for a blockbuster rematch.
It has now been over two years since Wilson's controversial stoppage loss against Navarrete in America – which included both a famed '27 second' count and dramatic accusations of scale tampering.
However, both No Limit and Team Wilson are convinced they can square the ledger on Australian soil, although Navarrete must first get through a mandated rematch with Charly Suarez.
HYPED AUSSIE CALLS FOR TITLE SHOT
Hyped Australian prospect Callum '50 Cal' Peters needed just 92 seconds to score the third straight first round finish of his career – and then immediately demanded an Australian title fight.
Branded Australia's Most Avoided Fighter by No Limit CEO George Rose, Peters dropped Cairns debutant Luca Lanigan three times in the first round, and each time with a right hand, before the fight was waved off.
While the undefeated 22-year-old will now return to the amateurs, where he is gunning for a gold medal at the IBA World Championships in September, he also took time in the mic afterwards to call out Australian middleweight champ Xavier Fletcher.
'Xavier Fletcher,' he said, looking down the barrel of a Fox Sports camera, 'sign the contract bro'.
Peters also praised Lanigan, a local Muay Thai fighter, who took the fight on just two days notice after a pair of international rivals withdrew.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia after winning on Jai Opetaia's recent card, Fletcher confirmed his willingness to face the rising No Limit prospect should he win his next national title defence against Dominic Molinaro in July.
'He gets hit too much, makes too many mistakes,' the Brisbane-based champ also said of Peters, while also warning his hyped amateur style will quickly prove his 'downfall' in the professional ranks.
Speaking after his win on Wednesday night however, 50 Cal reminded that he already had a win over Fletcher in the amateurs and was happy to now double down with a national title on the line.
He said he would be happy to sort the fight for after the worlds, adding that he could fight twice as a professional between September and December.
Incredibly, Peters is also looking to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and even the 2028 LA Olympics.
Earlier this month, Rose compared Peters to no less than Australian boxing great Dave Sands given he is now looking for fights anywhere from middleweight to light heavyweight.
Rose has also suggested Peters can win a world title faster than even the seven fights it took Jeff Fenech.
KO OF THE YEAR CONTENDER
Australian light heavyweight Kirra Ruston continued his incredible rise in the sport, earning a brutal Knockout Of the Year contender against India's Kartik Kumar
While Kumar entered the bout on an undefeated tear of nine straight wins, eight via KO, and arguably won the opening round with a strong jab, it was only midway through the second when Ruston went bang.
After landing a big right hand on Kumar, the Indian immediately buckled, then dropped.
He would then stay down for the full count.
'It felt like I was just getting started,' Ruston said afterwards, having now taken his own undefeated career start to seven straight.
'But the game plan keeps working so why change it?
'I wanted to see what he had in the first round and he had some pop on his shots.
'I had to stay nice and sharp and eventually saw the right hook
'Thankfully I landed it…'
Didn't he what?
Asked what was next by Main Event commentator Ben Damon, the 27-year-old said: 'This is just the beginning.
'There are a lot of people out there that could be great potential fights.
'We'll go back and plan it out.
'But I'm here, and I'm staying here.
'I've got Australia on my back and I want to take it all the way to the top.'
ENTERTAINING AUSSIE DROPS TEAM PACQUIAO RIVAL
Australian featherweight Vegas Larfield earned himself an entertaining decision win over big punching Filipino Bryan Cabrillos – which included a contentious knockdown ruling in the final round.
Now two years removed from his sole loss against Albert Nolan, Larfield continued his climb up the domestic rankings against a rival who trains out of Manny Pacquiao's gym in the Philippines.
While Cabrillos spent the night continually searching for big right hands, and often found his mark, it was Larfield who had the greater success, particularly to the body, and boxed solidly throughout.
In the final round, the Queenslander had his biggest moment of the fight, dropping his rival with a big right hand.
Immediately, Cabrillos complained of a low blow however referee Chris Condon dismissed it with a shake of a head.
However, Condon also never started a count, with the final scorecards also showing confusion as to if the knockdown had been counted, with Larfield earning the decision: 58-55, 58-56 and 59-55.
Regardless, the win was yet another strong showing from the 23-year-old, who has now won four straight since the shock Nolan loss.
PRELIMS WRAP
First up, Queenslander Caden 'Raging Bull' Russo earned a convincing win over Aaron Stahl, a former opponent of Nikita Tszyu.
Ingham product Russo boxed solidly throughout to score a convincing win on all three judges' scorecards -- 59-55, 59-55 and 60-54.
In the second fight of the night, Cairns local Quinton 'Da Hitman' Smith earned his first professional win in style -- a brutal first round stoppage of debutant Laphya Reuben.
After first forcing Reuben to a knee midway through opening round, Smith then quickly doubled down when the fight was restarted, pushing Reuben into a corner where a series of unanswered shots then forced referee Phil Holiday to wave it off with only two seconds of the round remaining.
Later, Cairns heavyweight Thomas Warria continued his undefeated career start in front of a boisterous home crowd, earning a split decision win over fellow North Queenslander Ricky Sandrel.
A 110kg southpaw, Warria landed big with his left hand through the opening two rounds, including a left-right combination in the second which stunned his bearded rival dubbed 'Lumberjack'.
Yet Sandrel, for his part, hung tough through all four rounds of what was his own professional debut, and landed big as the bell sounded to end the third.
However the fight still appeared to be a convincing win for Warria, with two judges giving him the fight 40-36 and 39-37. However, a third ringside official gave the fight to Sandrel 40-36.
Regardless, Warria was eventually announced the winner and climbed up onto the ring ropes, which inturn brought an appropriate response from the Cairns Convention Centre crowd.