Before many of the world’s best super lightweights go to sleep at night, they check under their bed for Subriel Matias. The IBF champion is the bogeyman of the division and he returns to action against unbeaten Australian star Liam Paro at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Puerto Rico on June 15.
The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by DAZN.
Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) is one of the hardest punchers in world boxing. Last February, the 32-year-old destroyer won the vacant IBF title courtesy of a damaging fifth-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Jeremias Ponce. Nine months later, Matias was handing another unbeaten fighter his first “L”, as Shohjahon Ergashev retired at the end of six.
WATCH: Subriel Matias vs. Liam Paro, live on DAZN
Paro (24-0, 15 KOs) is a capable young contender from Queensland. The 28-year-old southpaw earned this opportunity by scoring a sixth-round knockout over Montano Love on the Haney-Prograis undercard in December. Love was decked twice and stopped standing, so Paro enters his first world title fight in excellent form.
The Sporting News gives you odds and a final prediction for this super lightweight world title fight in Puerto Rico.
Subriel Matias vs. Liam Paro betting odds
Per BetMGM, Matias is the -700 favorite while Paro is the +500 underdog. The draw is +2000.
Subriel Matias vs. Liam Paro trends
There are currently no betting trends for this fight. The Sporting News will update this section as and when the information becomes available:
- Matias via KO/ TKO/ Tech. Dec/ DQ: N/A
- Matias via decision: N/A
- Paro via KO/TKO/Tech. Dec/ DQ: N/A
- Paro via decision: N/A
Subriel Matias vs. Liam Paro prediction, best bets
This just looks like wrong place, wrong time for Paro.
When you finally secure a world title fight, the last thing you want to face is a knockout artist who has never been taken the distance and has defeated every opponent he’s ever faced. That is what Paro is up against here.
While Matias suffered a close decision loss to unheralded Russian Petros Ananyan in 2020, that seems to be an aberration. Twenty-three months after that shocking setback, the Puerto Rican star dominated Ananyan and stopped him in nine rounds.
Paro is unbeaten and he carries a good punch, so that has to count for something. However, one struggles to forget him being decked by Yomar Alamo on a Jake Paul undercard back in 2021. If Alamo is putting a dent in Paro, then what can Matias do?