Australia’s Liam Paro has revealed growing fears around his insane weight cuts — which included potentially dying in the ring — have influenced his shock decision to quit the super lightweight division.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, No Limit’s newest pay-per-view star also opened up on the intense cut preceding his world title loss to Richardson Hitchins – which involved the fighter losing both his hearing and vision during four brutal hours in a Puerto Rican sauna.

Yet with those battles put behind him, Paro is now readying for an exciting push into a welterweight division stacked with stars like Devin Haney, Rolly Romero, Ryan Garcia, even Manny Pacquiao.

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Only months after signing on with No Limit, Paro is only days away from a hyped IBF world title eliminator — challenging France’s David Papot in Brisbane next Thursday night.

After winning the IBF super lightweight crown in early 2024, and then losing to Hitchins, Paro still initially looked set to again chase greatness at 140 pounds – the same division where Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu famously starred.

However, the Mackay southpaw has now explained how the increasing stresses of making weight – and potentially deadly repercussions – played a role in his decision to move up.

While the Queenslander won a June catchweight bout against American Jonathan Navarro, his world title loss against Hitchins last December was, he says now, the worst cut of his life.

Before revealing the story, however, Paro stressed that he did not want to be seen as creating a cop out for the loss, his first after upsetting Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias for the crown.

“So first off, absolutely no excuses,” Paro said.

“But that cut I had for Hitchins … hands down, the hardest of my life.

“I was in the sauna for four hours before making weight.

“And yeah, things got real hectic.

“Over the first 40 minutes, I’d barely broken a sweat.

“There was just no fluid coming out.

“But my head, it was cooking.

Boxer Liam Paro prepares for his fight at Pat Rafter Arena on Sep 18 with a session at the venue. Boxer Liam Paro. Picture: Nigel HallettSource: News Corp Australia

“So I was brought out, wrapped in towels, laid down.

“Then we kept going back inside for as long as I could take – 10 or 15 minutes at a time, in and out.

“We kept a chair literally one step outside the sauna door, that’s all the energy I had …”

Pushed on the torturous cut, Paro continued: “Your head cooks, you see stars.

“Honestly, you can feel your heart beating through your ears.

“Then eventually, your voice goes.

“I remember my eyes were gone, too.

“It’s complete depletion.

“In that moment you’re so dry, you feel like if you were to run your joints would snap.”

So bad was that cut, Paro admitted to having concerns way beyond how it was affecting his performances.

“Because unfortunately you do see fatalities in the ring,” he continued. “Especially in the lighter divisions, from fighters having cut too much weight.

“The fluid around the brain goes, and that’s your shock absorber.

“And while you don’t want to think negatively about these things, I was just too depleted.

“In boxing, you’re already risking your life every time you step into a ring.

“But I just didn’t have enough time to rehydrate.

“It was getting to the point where a day wasn’t enough for me to replenish, or not if I wanted to fight to the best of my ability.

“And I really didn’t want anything bad happening due to me not rehydrating enough in 24 hours.”

Despite switching weight classes, Paro has gone immediately into a world title eliminator.

The move opens up a huge range of possibilities for the Australian, including a shot at Pacquiao – an idea he first voiced to Fox Sports Australia way back in May.

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As part of his first welterweight camp, Paro has also noticed incredible changes, both inside the ring and out.

“I’d been fighting as a super lightweight since I was 18,” he explained.

“But I’m 29 now.

“My body is developing, I’m just getting my man strength, hitting my peak.

“So moving to welterweight, I’m going to be a lot fresher in the ring.

“It’s a no brainer.”

So as for how he feels now entering fight week?

“Oh, I’ve been fueling up the whole time,” he grinned.

“I’m moving up 3.2 kilos, which is a lot in boxing.

“Those three kilos are what I would’ve been killing myself in the sauna to lose.

“So I feel unreal.”

And as for Papot, who is undefeated through 31 professional fights?

“He’s a puzzle that hasn’t yet been solved,” the Aussie said.

“But I’ll be the guy who does it.

“Yes, he’s slippery, crafty, but we’ve got the tools to get this done.

“Without sounding too cocky, he hasn’t faced anyone on my level.”