Promoter Eddie Hearn says Liam Paro will need to find a way not to fall behind early tonight against IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Manati, Puerto Rico.
Avoiding an Early Deficit
Hearn feels that if Paro (24-0, 15 KOs) finds himself down 6-0, he’s going to have a difficult situation trying to rally against the big puncher Matias (20-1, 20 KOs), who has a high volume that makes it difficult for his opponents to come back if they fall behind early.
The idea is for Paro to build a healthy lead in the first half, and then box Matias in the second half to avoid getting chewed up from his powerful shots. It won’t be easy for Paro to build a big lead against Matias because he’s going to dealing with a lot of pressure from the Puerto Rican.
The Ergashev Blueprint
Matias’ last opponent, Shohjahon Ergashev had a lot of success in the first four rounds of the fight last November, but then fell apart from the power and the volume and was stopped in the sixth round.
Ergashev is a bigger puncher and a superior knockout artist than Paro, and he couldn’t keep Matias off. If Paro could punch like Ergashev, his job would be made much easier, but he’ll have to find a way to avoid getting worn down in the second half.
“Liam has never been in with a puncher with the volume of Subriel Matias. This fight is as much about Liam Paro as it is Subriel Matias,” said Eddie Hearn to DAZN Boxing, talking about tonight’s fight between IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias and Liam Paro in Puerto Rico.
“Somehow, Liam has got to find a way not to go six nill down but also to hit the backstretch unscathed with the energy with the body armor in place to actually take it to Matias. It might turn him into a more dangerous animal,” said Hearn about Matias fighting at home in Puerto Rico.
Paro will likely get caught up in the crowd noise and find himself brawling with Matias early. That’ll be his worst nightmare if he can’t follow a game plan to stay away from Matias early on because he doesn’t have the power to brawl with him the way Ergashev did last November.
“Sometimes, when you’re fighting at home, there’s more pressure. Don’t rule out Liam Paro. He’s a smart guy who can really fight. Every one of his victories has come inside the distance,” Hearn said about Matias. “He’s a guy that was never spoon-fed anything.
Raising Matias’ Profile
“He will jump in with any 140-pounder in the world. He’s not difficult to do a deal with. We just need to raise his profile to the point where fight fans are calling for Teofimo Lopez. Teofimo is fighting Steve Claggett. That’s a waste of everybody’s time.”
Hearn is setting himself up for disappointment by hoping that WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez will fight Matias because the New Yorker is playing it safe with his career after his close calls against Jamaine Ortiz and Sandor Martin.
Those fights have taken away Teofimo’s ambition, and he’s now content to fight no-names for easy money on ESPN. He’s not going to fight Matias or anyone dangerous unless it’s a fight where he’ll make so much money that it won’t matter if he loses.
“Teofimo against Subriel Matias in a unification is one of the best match-ups in boxing, but you have to have the guys that see the value in fighting Subriel Matias. If you’re a superstar like Teofimo, you’re going to want a fortune to get in the ring with Subriel Matias,” said Hearn.
