The Australian just made history.
In Queensland today, Liam Paro dethroned Northern Irishman Lewis Crocker to become the new IBF welterweight world champion.
By outpointing Crocker, Paro became only the second Australian-born male fighter to win titles across multiple divisions.
Paro started the stronger of the two, using his jab and quicker combinations to establish early control.
Crocker, though patient and composed behind a high guard, struggled initially to consistently close distance.
Paro’s activity and variety, mixing hooks and straight shots, gave him the edge in the opening rounds, though Crocker’s forward pressure began to build from round three onward.
By round four, Crocker was finding more success on the march, especially with body work and isolated right hands, but Paro continued to land cleaner work on the break.
The fight tightened significantly in the middle stretch.
Paro had one of his best moments in round five, landing a solid left hook that forced Crocker to shell up, though Crocker responded with heavier single shots that visibly turned Paro’s head.
Round six was particularly chaotic, featuring warnings for back-of-the-head shots and constant exchanges between volume and power.
From rounds seven through eight, Crocker’s pressure became more consistent, but Paro’s countering remained sharp and timely.
Both fighters had clear moments of success, with neither able to sustain dominance for long.
By the end of round eight, the challenger’s strong finish suggested he may have edged it.
The championship rounds were fought at a relentless pace.
Crocker continued to march forward, landing heavier but less frequent shots, while Paro relied on activity, angles, and combinations to stay competitive.
Then round ten was another swing round, with both men trading clean hooks in close quarters.
Round eleven saw Crocker pile on pressure, targeting the body and forcing exchanges, while Paro did well to stay mobile and fire back despite fatigue.
A brief doctor’s inspection for a cut above Paro’s eye added further drama, though the fight resumed without point deductions.
In the final round, Crocker started aggressively and briefly snapped Paro’s head back with a right hand, but Paro responded with sharp counter combinations of his own.
A second interruption for a cut check only heightened the tension before both fighters finished strongly.
Ultimately, all three judges scored the fight 115-113 in favour of Paro.
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