Liam Paro became a two-division world champion in Brisbane, edging Lewis Crocker by unanimous decision to win the IBF welterweight title.
All three judges scored the fight 115-113 for Paro, who built an early lead with his jab, footwork and sharp counter punching before surviving a hard late push from Crocker.
Paro controlled much of the early action from the southpaw stance, using his jab and straight left hand while making Crocker miss with wide power shots. Crocker had success in the second and third rounds, bloodying Paro’s nose and landing right hands, but the Australian’s cleaner work kept him ahead.
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The fight tightened in the middle rounds. Paro hurt Crocker with a body shot and uppercut in the fifth, but Crocker answered with a heavy right hand that sent Paro stumbling into the ropes. From there, the defending champion began to force more exchanges.
Crocker’s late rally made the fight dramatic. He pushed hard in the eleventh and twelfth rounds, backing Paro up and opening a bad cut over his left eye in the final round. Paro finished marked up and bleeding, but he stayed on his feet and made it to the bell.
The result gives Paro another major title and puts him into bigger welterweight fights, while Crocker’s strong finish and narrow defeat leave the door open for a possible rematch.
Image Credit: BBC