IBF super lightweight champion Subriel Matias won’t face Teofimo Lopez in his return from injury, but he’ll at least enjoy a homecoming. El Nuevo Dia reports and Jake Donovan confirms that plans are in place to pit Matias against Liam Paro this summer in the former’s native Puerto Rico.
Per El Nuevo Dia, the fight is “90%” done and Paro (24-0, 15 KO) has accepted all terms. Donovan adds that Matias (20-1, 20 KO), now a free agent after fighting out his contract with PBC, is still negotiating a deal with Matchroom.
As that would open the door for a potential unification with Devin Haney, I’m very much for it.
It’s not the blockbuster matchup we want for Matias, but as with Shohjahon Ergashev and Jeremias Ponce before them, Paro is a very credible opponent, not to mention Matias’ fifth undefeated foe in his last six fights. The 27-year-old Aussie is on a career-best run after clobbering Brock Jarvis in October 2022 and subsequently beating down Montana Love last December.
By “first fight back after injury” standards, it’s more than palatable.