Liam Paro told Matchroom’s Flash Knockdown podcast that he will show he belongs at the top level when he meets Montana Love at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday December 9, live on DAZN PPV in North America and on DAZN worldwide, where Regis Prograis defends his WBC World Super-Lightweight title against Devin Haney.
Paro (23-0 14 KOs) returns to the ring after over a year on the sidelines since his spectacular first round KO of Brock Jarvis in Brisbane in October 2022, and is itching to get back into action after injury ruled him out of two fights in the first half of the year, the last and most notable of those being a World title shot against Prograis in New Orleans in June.
Paro is back to full fitness and has been on fire in training camp in Las Vegas, where he found himself caught up in a Twitter storm around his sparring with pound-for-pound star Shakur Stevenson. The 27 year old adhered to the fighters code and did not go into specifics of the work, but said he took away real belief that those are the names he belongs with – and will prove it on December 9 against Love.
“It’s sparring at the end of the day,” said Paro. “We got good rounds in, but mark my words, I belong at the top level, I can mix it with them confidently. I appreciate the work with Shakur, it’s great work and a good camp to work with, but I belong there for sure.
“I want the winner of Haney-Prograis. I think Devin beats him, I think the way to give him trouble is fast feet like Vasiliy Lomachenko, but in his last fight Regis’ looked stuck in the mud. He’s going to be fit and ready though as this is a massive fight, as big as it gets, but I think Devin edges this one out. Haney vs. Paro rolls off the tongue, but I am not looking past Montana, I know I need to get the job done there first.
“I know that when I get the job done, I’ll be headlining big shows like this one against big names, it just motivates me so much. It’s what you dream of as a young kid and now it’s starting to become a reality. It’s unbelievable. I’m here, but I want more. The harder the task, the more I perform, I always rise to the occasion. I love it. That’s what makes a champion, performing under pressure, I really thrive on that.”