LIAM PARO has secured an IBF title eliminator against unbeaten Frenchman David Papot, hoping to take himself one step closer towards two-division world championship status.
The Aussie southpaw was last seen orchestrating a five-round demolition job against Jonathan Navarro, a relatively little-known operator, at a catchweight of 144lbs in June.
But now, the former super-lightweight champion looks to establish himself as a fully-fledged welterweight contender, while firmly setting his sights on the winner of Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan 2.
Prior to moving up in weight, Paro, 26-1 (16 KOs), found himself on the receiving end of a comprehensive boxing lesson against Richardson Hitchins and, in turn, lost his IBF crown at 140lbs.
Before that, an equally dominant performance, this time in Paro’s favour, saw the slick technician claim his title on Puerto Rican soil with a unanimous decision victory over Subriel Matias.
Having firmly established himself as a world-class operator, then, it only makes sense that the 29-year-old is chasing the IBF belt at 147lbs, which, of course, will be contested by Crocker, 21-0 (11 KOs), and Donovan, 14-1 (11 KOs), on September 13.
Before getting too carried away, though, Paro must first take care of business against Papot, who boasts an undefeated yet somewhat padded record, at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia.
Should he engineer a successful night in front of his home fans on September 18, the Brisbane man is then expected to improve his seventh-place IBF ranking.
Featuring on Paro’s undercard, meanwhile, will be former two-time world title challenger Liam Wilson, who is gearing up to face America’s Carlos Gonzalez in what looks to be a relatively lopsided super-featherweight matchup.
