Liam Paro overcame a hostile Puerto Rican crowd and a questionable point deduction, scrapping and gutting his way to a unanimous decision upset victory over Subriel Matias, and claiming the IBF title at 140 lbs. Paro (25-0, 15 KO) frustrated Matias, moving and circling from distance early, then keeping Matias (20-2, 20 KO) wrapped up or in too tight to really unleash his most devastating power punches. Even after Matias started opening up after his typical slow start, Paro tied him up effectively and shoved him out of position constantly.
There were a lot of “veteran tactics” from Paro, who uglied up the back half of the fight with a lot of clinching. Referee Luis Pabon was hectoring him all night, and deducted a point from Paro for hitting the back of Matias’s head in the 7th. It felt egregious in real time, but the replay looked justifiable, and you can decide for yourself based on the highlight embedded below.
It would have been tragic if that deduction had swung the fight, which it did on my unofficial 114-113 card for Matias. But, Pabon could just as easily have taken a point for similar punches later in the fight, or constant clinches in the final few rounds. Fortunately, the deduction didn’t even factor in to the outcome, as Paro took home the decision and the belt on official scores of 115-112, 115-112, and 116-111.
It wasn’t a beautiful performance, but it was an effective one, as Paro took the rounds he needed to win, and did what he needed to navigate and.