Former super lightweight world champion Liam Paro was forced to dig deep in order to defeat Frenchman David Papot in their IBF welterweight world title eliminator in Brisbane on Thursday.
The Queensland southpaw claimed a hard-fought unanimous decision win (116-112 x2, 117-111) over his fellow lefty, rallying from some tense moments through the middle rounds.
Papot was a more than $9 outsider with the bookies but looked a better than even money chance late in the fourth round after stunning Paro with successive 1-2s, blowing up a mouse on his right eyebrow.
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That swung the momentum Papot’s way for the next few rounds before Paro was able to regain some control as the visitor began to fade in round nine.
Paro’s eye only got worse down the stretch but the Aussie did just enough, although the cards perhaps flattered the 29-year-old slightly.
The result saw Papot defeated for the first time, slipping to 30-1-1, while Paro improved to 27-1 and is now in the box seat for a shot at IBF champion at 147-pounds, Lewis Crocker.
In the chief support, Liam Wilson and his signature left hook got the job done with a fourth-round stoppage of tough Dominican Jorge Santana.
Following the victory, the hard-hitting Queenslander again reiterated his wish to face George Kambosos in a domestic showdown.
Earlier, Jacob Ng’s return from an extended layoff was a successful one, albeit aided by his opponent Rikki Naito suffering a suspected Achilles rupture on the way to a first-round TKO.
Catch up on the results below:
Liam Paro vs. David Papot full card results
Bout and order subject to change.
- Liam Paro def. David Papot via UD12 (117-111, 116-112 x2); welterweight
- Liam Wilson def. Jorge Santana via KO4; super featherweight
- Jacob Ng def. Rikki Naito via TKO1; super welterweight
- Dharringarra Trewhella def. Lachlan O'Shea via TKO5; super welterweight
- Floyd Masson def. Johan Linde via UD6 (60-54 x3); heavyweight
- Ken Aitken def. Sonny Knight via SD5 (49-46, 48-47, 47-48); super welterweight
- Danny Keating def. Sachin Nautiyal via KO1; welterweight
- Matthew Hosking def. Lance McDonald via UD5 (40-35 x2, 39-36); welterweight
What time is Paro vs. Papot?
Paro vs. Papot goes down on Thursday, September 18 at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Queensland.
The pay-per-view portion of the fight card is due to kick off at 7pm AEST, with the main event fighters expected to step into the ring some time around 10pm, depending on the length of the earlier fights.
How to watch Paro vs. Papot: TV channel, live stream
Paro vs. Papot is a pay-per-view event and can be purchased for $49.95 through Foxtel's Main Event, or through streaming platform Kayo.
| TV channel | Live stream | |
| Prelims (from 6pm) | Fox Sports 3 (Ch. 503) | Kayo |
| Main card (from 7pm) | Main Event | Kayo PPV6 |