IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias and unbeaten contender Liam Paro are close to completing a deal to meet on June 15th in Manati, Puerto Rico.
Mike Coppinger of ESPN is reporting the Matias vs. Paro fight match is being “finalized.” This will be the second defense of the powerful Matias of his IBF 140-lb belt, which he won last year in February, stopping Jeremias Ponce in the fifth round.
Matias Returns Home After Brutal Title Defense
In Matias’ first defense last November, he stopped the highly ranked unbeaten Shohjahon Ergashev (23-1, 20 KOs) in the fifth round of a war.
Early on in that fight, things looked bad for Matias, with Ergashev hitting him at will with powerful shots and dominating through the first three rounds. Matias then came on to wear Ergashev down to score a stoppage in the fifth.
Many fans would prefer a rematch between Matias and a healthy Ergashev than seeing Paro as Subriel’s next opponent.
The 31-year-old Matias (20-1-1, 20 KOs) will return home to fight in front of his fans in Puerto Rico after his last six fights were staged in the U.S.
For Matias, who recently inked a three-fight deal with promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, it might be better if his clash against Paro took place in the United States or Australia so that he can continue picking up more fans.
Fans Crave Blockbuster Fights
With the Matias-Paro fight being shown on DAZN, it might not matter. The fans in the U.S. will see it live, and it’s not a big fight on paper, considering the 27-year-old Australian Paro (24-0, 15 KOs) isn’t well known in America among casual boxing fans, and this isn’t a high-demand match-up. Fans want to see Matias take on these guys at 140:
Ryan Garcia
Devin Haney
Teofimo Lopez
Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
Matias’ only career defeat came against Petros Ananyan, who beat him by a 10-round unanimous decision in February 2020. Two years later, Matias evened the score with a ninth-round knockout over Ananyan.
Paro recently knocked out Montana Love in the sixth round on the undercard of Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis on December 9th at the Chase Center in San Francisco. That was an impressive performance from the southpaw Paro, who defeated Love, who two years earlier was seen as a rising prospect at 140.