Subriel Matias will return to the ring to make the second defense of his IBF junior welterweight crown this month as he takes on Liam Paro in Puerto Rico.
Matias will get to enjoy a homecoming when he takes on the Australian, but this fight will be his first since November 2023.
While Paro has also yet to fight in 2024, the Australian did box in December, and he has yet to taste defeat as a professional.
Here’s the Tale of the Tape ahead of their clash on June 15.
Fighter Bio | Subriel Matias | Liam Paro |
Odds: | -800 | +500 |
Age: | 32 | 28 |
Nickname: | Browny | N/A |
Height: | 5' 9" | 5' 9" |
Reach: | 71" | 71" |
Weight: | Light welterweight | Light welterweight |
Trainer: | Juan El Panda Martinez | Alfie DiCarlo |
Record: | 20-1 | 24-0 |
Last Fight: | Win against Shohjahon Ergashev (November 25th, 2023) | Win against Montana Love (December 9th, 2023) |
Matias is regarded as one of the most dangerous boxers on the planet, with all 20 of his victories coming via knockout.
The 32-year-old turned professional in 2015, beating Juan Rojas in the first round. Within the first 12 months of turning professional, Matias won all four fights before repeating that success in 2017 and 2018.
One of those wins in 2018 came against Breidis Prescott, who famously stopped Amir Khan in 2008 in Manchester.
Matias had no such issues, though, stopping Prescott inside four rounds to move to 11-0. In 2019, he racked up three more wins against Wilbert Lopez, Maxim Dadashev and Jonathan Eniz.
In February 2020, he suffered the first defeat of his career when losing via unanimous decision to Petros Ananyan at the MGM Grand in Paradise, Nevada.
His defeat to Ananyan was the only time Matias has gone the distance as a professional, and he has since picked up five consecutive stoppage victories.
He returned to the ring eight months after his first defeat and beat Malik Hawkins in the seventh round, before then beating Batyrzhan Jukembayev, and then getting revenge over Ananyan in 2022.
In February 2023, he won his first world title after beating Jeremias Ponce for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title. In November, he defended it for the first time against Shohjahon Ergashev.
Matias has developed a strong reputation across the world, many describe him as the best fighter in the 140lb division. His knockout rate speaks for itself, and he has also shown plenty of heart and toughness throughout his career.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Huge power | Gets careless on occasions |
Throws effective combinations | Takes unnecessary punches |
Elite hand speed |
Australian Paro took up boxing at the age of 13, and decided to put all his efforts into the sport after giving up rugby league.
The 28-year-old spent time working alongside former world champion Jeff Horn, who beat Manny Pacquiao in 2017 to win the WBO welterweight title.
Paro won his first three fights via decision in 2016, before he recorded his first stoppage victory against John Min in October 2016. He stayed active and won again via stoppage, with Nick Hikuroa unable to handle his power in December of that year.
His record stood at 5-0 within the first nine months of his career, and he continued to gain experience in Australia while racking up victories. After three points wins in a row, Paro won seven fights on the trot inside the distance to move to 10-0 by September 2017.
Paro's first title success came in March 2018 when he won the vacant Australian junior welterweight title, beating Andrew Wallace in Brisbane. The titles continued to come as he picked up different international straps before he finally competed outside Australia in 2021.
A split decision win over Yomar Alamo in Florida saw him extend his career to 22-0 before he returned to Australia to beat Brock Jarvis.
In his last fight, Paro beat Montana Love inside six rounds, retaining his WBO Global junior welterweight crown.
The Australian has an elite mindset and believes he can beat anyone at his weight, and he has also shown he has plenty of power, with 15 of his 24 wins coming via knockout.
He will need to step up a level in order to win his first world title, with Matias certainly having the better resume.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Determination and tough | Lack of elite-level experience |
Good inside fighter |
Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.