Liam Paro has spoken about a “scary” period in his life when his career was put on hold.
The 28-year-old Australian produced what is sure to be one of the biggest upsets of 2024 in June, traveling to Puerto Rico and dethroning Subriel Matias for the IBF junior welterweight title.
His first world title fight came a year later when he was due to face then WBC champion Regis Prograis in New Orleans, but the opportunity never came due to a serious Achilles injury, and at his lowest point, Paro even enquired about a job in one of the mines in Queensland, thinking it might be his last fight.
Even more disillusioning was not only watching Prograis struggle that night, but watching his replacement challenger, Danielito Zorrilla, fight for survival. Prograis would struggle again in a loss to Devin Haney in December 2023. Palo, who impressed by stopping Montana Love on the undercard that night in San Francisco, could again only watch and wonder what could have been.
“It's crazy,” Paro told BoxingScene , “exactly a year ago I got injured. There was a lot of uncertainty and it was a pretty dark time in my career. I got injured twice in quick succession. You can't prepare for something like that. It was scary until something out of your control took your life.”
“But then time passed and a year later I'm world champion. It's crazy. It's confusing but I think it makes this chapter of the book even better. At the end of the day, you see it's not all smooth sailing. There are hard times and it's a matter of how you overcome them. Being taken away from what I love reignited my fire. In a way, I think it's just the world preparing me for this. I really discovered how much I love it.”
“I'd been asking friends in North Queensland about mining and stuff like that. The thing that scared me the most was the uncertainty. It's always in the back of your mind but when it's there it's scary. I was in a dark place and wasn't prepared to end like that. There was still a lot to do and a title on the line. It was emotional but I was lucky to have my family, my loved ones by my side.”
“I had a big sponsor and I told him I was looking at mines and he said, 'No way' and helped me out. He did whatever I needed to get through that period. All I can say is it was dark. It was really dark.”
“I'm a very positive person, but it's real. It's very real and I just try to make sense of everything. I kept going back to uncertainty and it was scary. I had no idea what was going to happen. It was also a minor tear of my Achilles tendon. Luckily I didn't have surgery. If I had to have surgery it would have been two years before I could walk again. An Achilles tendon is not a minor injury so it was scary. I'll admit it, it was really scary.”
It's no exaggeration to say it has changed not just Paro's career, but his life. His promoter, Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, said on Thursday he wants the first title defence to take place in his hometown of Brisbane or in Sydney in November, potentially against the winner of Jack Catterall vs. Prograis on August 24.
“It was tough,” Paro continued about competing on the undercard of the Prograis-Haney fight. “It was hard to accept. I was so close. The dream was right there. It was set. I was ready and then it was taken away.”
“It was crazy. I'm confused now. Now, after just a year, I'm in the driver's seat. That's what people don't see about boxing – how grueling it is. We push our bodies so hard to entertain the fans. That's what they don't see – the injuries, what goes on behind the scenes. But it was crazy. I'm still confused now. It's crazy how things happen. Just a year and the whole world has changed.”
