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Subriel Matías, the IBF World Jr. Welterweight champion, is set to defend his title against Liam Paro at the Coliseo Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu in Manatí, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, June 15. The fight will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN, marking Matías's return to his home country for the first time since November 2019.
Matías (20-1, 20 KOs) won the vacant IBF Super-Lightweight title in February last year by forcing Jeremias Ponce to retire after five rounds in Minnesota. He then successfully defended his title against mandatory challenger Shohjahon Ergashev in November, forcing another retirement after six rounds in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old has an impressive record of finishing all his victories inside the distance.
"I am super excited to be able to be in front of my people defending the title that we had such a hard time getting," said Matías. "The mentality will always be the same, and in front of my people, I don't even have to say it, they know me. The Pride of Maternillo."
His opponent, Liam Paro (24-0, 15 KOs), is looking to spoil Matías's homecoming. The Australian challenger, who has never lost a fight, is entering his first World title bout with confidence. Paro was dominant in his last fight, knocking down Montana Love twice in a six-round match in San Francisco in December. Despite being ruled out of a previous World title fight due to injury, Paro is eager to seize this opportunity to dethrone one of the most feared champions in the sport.
"I’ve waited my whole life for this opportunity," said Paro. "Fighter’s fight, and I can’t wait to fight the boogeyman in his backyard."
The event on June 15 will be Matchroom's first in Puerto Rico, following Matías's co-promotional deal with Matchroom and Fresh Production