Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins: Tale of the Tape

Australia's Liam Paro will make the first defense of his IBF world super-lightweight title against Richardson Hitchins on December 7, with both men putting their unbeaten records on the line.

Paro won the title in June thanks to a career-best display against Subriel Matis in Puerto Rico and he will return to the Caribbean for his matchup against Hitchins.

The southpaw from Queensland has made a dramatic rise to the top and has vowed to stay there, but in Hitchins, he faces another skilful boxer who has yet to taste defeat.

It's time to look at the 'Tale of the Tape'...

Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins: Tale of the Tape

Fighter Bio	Liam Paro	Richardson Hitchins
Odds:	-125	-105
Age:	28	27
Nickname:	The Prodigy	The Clinchman
Height:	5ft 8ins	5ft 10ins
Reach:	71ins	74ins
Weight:	Super Lightweight	Super Lightweight
Trainer:	Alfie Di Carlo	Lenny Wilson
Record:	25-0 (15KOs)	18-0 (7KOs)
Last Fight:	Won - (UD) vs. Subriel Matias (June 15 2024)	Won - (UD) vs. Jose Zepeda (September 23 2023)

Read Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins: Fight date, time, undercard, how to watch on site

Liam Paro record

Queensland fighter Paro first laced up a pair of gloves at the age of 13 and he stopped his pursuit of other sports to focus on the sweet science.

Paro moved to Brisbane at the age of 20, training with future world champion Jeff Horn, who famously beat Manny Pacquiao in July 2017.

The year before that, Paro made his debut in Brisbane, beating Jacob Mahony. He fought five times in 2016, and by the end of 2017, his record stood at 11-0.

He won his first title, the Australian light-welterweight title, in March 2018, before securing the WBO Youth light-welterweight crown after beating Sebastian Bytyqi in May 2018.

Paro's first 21 fights all took place in Australia before he beat Yomar Alamo in Florida in December 2021, which put him on the map on the world stage.

In 2022, he fought just once, beating Brock Jarvis by TKO in Brisbane before setting up his first world title shot after beating Montana Love in December 2023.

Paro was originally set to face WBC champion Regis Prograis, but an Achilles injury forced him to spend time on the sidelines.

In June, he outclassed Matias across 12 hard rounds and he will expect to win for the fourth time in America.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Tough and resilient	Lacks one-punch power
Good inside fighter

Richardson Hitchins record

Like Paro, Hitchins has never tasted defeat in his career and he will be full of confidence heading into next month's contest at the Coliseo Robert Clemente in San Juan.

Hitchins enjoyed a respectable amateur career, and after failing to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, he chose to represent Haiti at the 2016 Olympics.

Less than a year later, Hitchins turned professional, making his debut at the Barclays Center in New York. The Brooklyn native proved too much for Mexican Mario Alberto Perez Bavarro, winning the fight by TKO.

He fought three more times in 2017, and by the end of 2019, he was already 10-0 as a professional.

Hitchins' first title fight saw him beat Yomar Alamo for the IBF North American Super Lightweight title in November 2022.

His victory over Gustavo Daniel Lemos in April saw him become the mandatory challenger for the IBF crown, but he will need to improve to handle Paro's aggressive style.

Lemos caused Hitchins problems with his relentless pressure, but to his credit, the 27-year-old found a way to win for the 18th time in his career.

While Paro has fought outside his home country, Hitchins has yet to fight outside America and he will hope to make history in December as he looks to make a name for himself.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Strong defence	Lacks power
Elite boxing skills	No world title fight experience

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change