Boxing News Hall of Fame writer Graham Houston weighs up the Liam Paro vs Lewis Crocker IBF welterweight world title fight in Australia this Wednesday and provides his best bets and prediction.
Lewis Crocker vs Liam Paro Tips Preview
Having won the IBF welterweight title on home ground in Belfast, Lewis Crocker makes his first defence far from home when he faces southpaw former super-lightweight champion Liam Paro in the Brisbane suburb of Tennyson, Queensland, on Wednesday.
Crocker won the title, vacant at the time, with a split decision over Paddy Donovan last September.
It was a rematch in which Crocker showed the ability to adapt. Instead of taking the fight to Donovan, as he had in the first meeting, Crocker stayed back and countered.
The tactics worked beautifully. Crocker brought Donovan onto his punches, dropping the Limerick left-hander with left-hook counters in the third and fifth rounds.
Those knockdowns won the fight for Crocker.
After upsetting the odds against Donovan, it’s reasonable to assume that Crocker would have expected the mandatory defence against Paro to be in Belfast.
But the Australian promoter, No Limit, surprisingly outbid Matchroom when the fight went to purse offers.
This will be Crocker’s first fight overseas as a professional although he travelled abroad for tournaments on the international amateur circuit
How Crocker handles the pressure of being the “away” fighter could be a key element to this fight but he told Fox Sports Australia that he “couldn’t be calmer”.
Paro is the betting favourite but this is only his second fight at 147lbs. Crocker is expected to be the bigger, stronger man in the ring on fight night.
As for Crocker’s tactics - pressure or counter punching - we won’t know until the fight is under way.
A surprising development is that Crocker has changed trainers, leaving Scotland’s Billy Nelson to work with Huzaifah Iqbal, a Surrey-based trainer who was part of the Michael Conlan team.
Crocker explains that he felt he was getting too comfortable training in Scotland and wanted to push himself to new limits in a fresh environment.
On Wednesday we'll see if he made the right move.
It’s unfortunate for Crocker that he is perceived as lucky to be a world champion.
He was losing the first fight with Paddy Donovan only for his opponent to throw it all away with a punch after the bell. And the decision in the rematch was disputed.
However, Crocker has skills and power. His decision win over the tank-like Conah Walker has aged well. He surprised the boxing fraternity with his ring acumen in the Donovan rematch.
As for travelling to Australia and adjusting to the time difference, Crocker says: “No problem. Everything was normal after a couple of days.”
Still, home advantage can mean a lot.
Paro has had to travel for big fights, notably to Puerto Rico, where he pulled off the upset against dangerous Subriel Matias but lost to the undefeated and gifted Richardson Hitchins in title bouts.
Now Paro is in the happy position of challenging for a championship in his Brisbane backyard and he has exuded confidence in the pre-fight interviews.
Lewis Crocker vs Liam Paro Tale of the Tape
Lewis Crocker | Liam Paro | |
Record: | 22-0 (11 KOs) | 27-1 (16 KOs) |
Age: | 29 | 30 |
Birthplace: | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Mackay, Queensland, Australia |
Height: | 5′ 9″ / 175cm | 5' 8 1/2″ / 174cm |
Stance: | Orthodox | Southpaw |
Last Fight: | Won (SD) vs Paddy Donovan (Sep 2025) | Won (UD) vs David Papot (Sep 2025) |
KO%: | 50% | 59.26% |
Alias: | 'The Croc' | 'The Prodigy' |
Lewis Crocker vs Liam Paro Top Tips
Paro struggled in his welter debut against France’s David Papot. His right eye was swollen and closing by the later rounds, but he consistently outboxed fellow-southpaw Papot and even went toe-to-toe with him in the final round.
It was a gutsy display against a big, strong welter (Papot had boxed as a 154-pounder for most of his career).
That fight was last September, so Paro has had time to grow into the welterweight division. I’m expecting an improved version from the one we saw against Papot.
Paro’s southpaw stance might not be an issue for Crocker, seeing that the Belfast man’s last two bouts were against left-hander Paddy Donovan.
Still, I’m not sure I see a path to victory for Crocker.
If he seeks to win by boxing on the back foot, Paro could edge rounds by being quicker and busier.
And going right at Paro might not be a good idea. He is a sharpshooter. He has the timing and ring IQ to catch Crocker coming to him and perhaps hurt him.
Paro has some pop on his punches. He scored two knockdowns in his win over Montana Love, who was highly regarded at the time.
However, Crocker's left hook poses a threat to the Aussie.
I'm expecting an intense fight in an electric atmosphere with Paro staying a step ahead.
As a main bet I like Paro 'To Win the Fight' at 19/10. A subsidiary play on the fight to end inside the distance at 4/9 could be worth a try too..
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
