Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins are officially on weight and ready to battle for the IBF junior welterweight title tomorrow in Puerto Rico.
The bout will headline a night of fights on DAZN which takes place at Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Paro tipped the scales at 139.6lbs, while Hitchins came in at 139.8lbs, setting the stage for their title fight. The size difference was notable at the weigh-in. Paro, listed at 5ft 8ins, appeared slightly shorter than the lean 5ft 10ins Hitchins, though Paro’s broader shoulders were evident. The two shared a tense face-off, with Hitchins chewing gum and staring down the blank-faced Paro.
Paro, 28, from Australia, enters with a perfect 25-0 (15 KOs) record. He captured the IBF title in his last fight by defeating Puerto Rican Subriel Matias in Puerto Rico and previously scored a highlight-reel knockout of Montana Love in San Francisco on the Devin Haney-Regis Prograis undercard before that.
“It is crunch time now, the talking is done,” Paro said in a brief interview after the weigh-in. “I see a scared fellow. I said that right from the start. We are one sleep away from seeing what he is all about.”
Hitchins, 27, a 2016 Haitian Olympian with an 18-0 (7 KOs) record, is aiming for his first world title.
“Like I said, I belong at the world level,” Hitchins said. “My talent doesn’t belong anywhere else. If I was fighting different competition, it would be like bullying. I am supposed to be fighting the best guys in the world.”
In the co-feature, two Puerto Rican junior lightweights will square off as undefeated prospect Henry Lebron, with a record of 19-0 (10 KOs) makes his Matchroom Boxing debut against 30-year-old veteran Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz, who holds a record of 29-4-1 (19 KOs). Lebron, 27, weighed in at 130lbs, while Diaz came in just under at 129.8lbs.
The full weigh-in results are below:
DAZN main card
IBF junior welterweight title fight – 12 rounds
Liam Paro ( ) vs. Richardson Hitchins (139.8lbs)
Junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Henry Lebron (130lbs) vs. Christopher Diaz (129.8lbs)
Flyweight – 10 rounds
Yankiel Rivera (112lbs) vs. Angel Gonzalez (110.8lbs)
Lightweight – 10 rounds
Marc Castro (137.2lbs) vs. Agustin Quintana (136.4lbs)
“Before The Bell” streamed on YouTube
Junior welterweight – eight rounds
William Ortiz (140lbs) vs. Lionell Omar Colon (139.2lbs)
Welterweight – 10 rounds
Jalil Hackett (147lbs) vs. Jose Roman (145.8lbs)
Bantamweight – six rounds
Juan Zayas (117.4lbs) vs Geraldo Valdez (116.6lbs )
Women’s welterweight – eight rounds
Stephanie Pineiro (146.6lbs) vs. Kalindra Faria (139.8lbs)
Junior lightweight – four rounds
Carlos de Leon (128.2lbs) vs. Jose Guevara (127.4lbs)
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