Proud Queenslander Liam Paro wants his Maroons mates to celebrate a State of Origin series victory by watching him become a two-weight world champion in Brisbane on June 24.

A former leaguie from Mackay, Paro’s IBF welterweight world title blockbuster against Lewis Crocker comes exactly one week after Origin II in Perth.

By then, says the 30-year-old, he hopes his Queensland mates have wrapped up the series and can show out at Pat Rafter Arena for the first world title fight held in Brisbane since Jeff Horn’s upset of Manny Pacquiao in 2017.

“It’s huge, the NRL’s the leading sport in Australia and I’m a proud North Queenslander and we love our rugby league up there,” Paro told Code Sports.

“There’s gonna be a lot of Mackay boys representing Queensland in Origin.

“Let’s hope they go two from two, they’ve already won the series by then and I’ll just put the cherry on top by winning a world title in Brisbane.”

No better way than to celebrate an Origin win than with a world title victory, right?

“It’ll be unbelievable,” Paro said.

“They’ll have to keep it up for two weeks, then.”

That the world title tilt comes smack bang in the middle of an Origin series is perfect for Paro, who relied on some “true Queensland spirit” last year for his first fight under the No Limit banner.

That bout — a win over Jonathan Navarro in Cairns — came a week after Dearden helped the $3.15 underdog Queenslanders pull off a remarkable series-sealing 24-22 victory in Perth.

“No one gave them a chance, but the Mackay boys played well, and Tom Dearden – filling in at halfback for the first time – stepped up to the plate and had a cracker,” Paro told Code Sports.

“Tommy Dearden, Reuben Cotter, a lot of them are Mackay boys and I went to school with them.

“North Queensland produces a lot of good talent, man.”

Paro has already pulled off an unlikely world title win of his own when he outfought the boogeyman Subriel Matias in 2024.

And on June 24 he can join Jeff Fenech as the only Aussie men to win world titles in multiple weight classes.

It has been a rollercoaster journey to get here though.

‘The Prodigy’ was initially scheduled to face Paddy Donovan in a world title eliminator in January, before Donovan pulled out with an illness.

Crocker then picked up an injury shortly after their fight was locked in, delaying it until June 24.

Paro admitted there were times he felt his world title dream had slipped away.

“I just didn’t know when, and there were so many different dates getting thrown around,” he said.

“I kind of checked out mentally when Crocker pulled out, and we’d already had Donovan pull out.

“I’d trained all through Christmas, didn’t see my family up home. It was disheartening.

“A few weeks into camp (for Crocker) he got an injury, and at that point I said to (coach Alfie di Carlo), ‘I need a rest’.

“There was a bit of swearing there, but mentally I wasn’t at it.

“The care factor was like, ‘What is this s**t?’ – it ain’t good.”

The time away helped him reset and refocus on winning a historic second world title.

“I stayed active, but took a step back from boxing for the mind,” he said. “That’s all I needed, was time with my family, time at home and away from thinking about boxing.

“It made me miss it. I love fighting.

“When I’m in the gym I’m at my happiest, so a couple of weeks away was what I needed to regain that fire.

“I’m ready to make history.”