Australian boxer Liam Paro has fired back at David Papot after the undefeated Frenchman declared he was “nothing special” ahead of their “high stakes” bout.
Paro and Papot will lock horns at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena on Thursday evening for a high-stakes IBF Welterweight World Title Eliminator that will determine the next challenger for the world championship.
The 29-year-old Queenslander admitted he was excited by the development of Northern Irishman Lewis Crocker beating Paddy Donovan over the weekend to take the title; the winner out of Paro and Papot is considered likely to take on Crocker next.
“We’re both gunning for that one spot at the title table,” Paro told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday.
“High stakes makes for a lot of excitement. I can’t wait.”
Paro vs Papot | THURSDAY 18 SEPT 7PM AEST | Liam Paro’s quest to recapture gold continues, as he moves up in weight to take on undefeated Frenchman David Papot, with the winner set up to compete for the IBF Welterweight Title | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports >
During the press conference, it was revealed that Papot said that Paro was “nothing special” while watching footage of his opponent ahead of their fight.
Asked about the remarks, Paro responded: “I love the confidence.
“I hope he keeps that confidence after I crack him a few times.”
He continued: “He’s a crafty, slippery boxer.
“He’s done something right, he’s undefeated, so you’ve got to respect that. Undefeated fighters are dangerous.
“But I’m going to be the one to piece the puzzle together.
“I respect him, but I can’t wait to get hands on this guy.”
It comes after crazy 48 hours for promoters No Limit, who lost Brock Jarvis from the undercard and had a further two preliminary fights threatened due to visa issues.
Jarvis has been forced to withdraw from his fight against Queenslander Ken Aitken due to a shoulder injury suffered in training.
A spokesperson for No Limit suggested the Sydneysider will likely have to undergo surgery.
Elsewhere, international rivals for Paulo Aokuso and Floyd Masson have also been ruled out of Thursday’s fight due to visa issues, with the latter stopped at the border in Uzbekistan.
At the time of writing, Benny Hussain was in negotiations to step in against hyped No Limit prospect Aokuso.
Former IBO cruiserweight champ Masson meanwhile has been offered a heavyweight bout against Johan Linde.
Nyngan’s Sonny Knight has also been offered the opportunity to step in for Jarvis.
“It never ceases to amaze me. I keep thinking that we have faced absolutely every obstacle that we can heading into an event and then something new like this pops up,” No Limit Boxing chief executive George Rose said.
“The great thing for me is that the main event is locked in. That’s the main thing but everything else that can go wrong seems to be going wrong but we will still get there, we’ve still got a fantastic card on offer.”
FIGHT CARD
Liam Paro vs David Papot, 12 rounds, IBF welterweight eliminator
Liam Wilson vs Jorge Santana, 10 rounds, WBO International super featherweight title
Brock Jarvis vs Ken Aitken, 8 rounds, super welterweights
Paulo Aokuso vs Shukhrat Abdullaev, 8 rounds, light heavyweights
Jacob Ng vs Rikki Naito, 6 rounds, super welterweights
Prelims
Dharringarra Trewhella vs. Lachlan O’Shea, 6 rounds, super welterweights
Floyd Masson vs. Dharmender Grewal, 6 rounds, heavyweights
Danny Keating vs. Sachin Nautiyal, 5 rounds, welterweights
Matthew Hosking vs. Lance McDonald, 4 rounds, welterweights
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