{"id":217108,"date":"2025-10-16T06:25:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T06:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/217108\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T06:25:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T06:25:20","slug":"zerafa-tszyu-set-for-war-as-paro-locks-in-blockbuster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/217108\/","title":{"rendered":"Zerafa-Tszyu set for war as Paro locks in blockbuster"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queensland boxing sensation Liam Paro <\/a>is on track to become a two-division world champion after being ordered to face Paddy Donovan in an IBF world-title eliminator blockbuster in Australia.<\/p>\n

Code Sports can reveal the IBF has called for a welterweight final eliminator between its two highest-ranked contenders, Paro and Donovan \u2013 with the winner to face current titleholder Lewis Crocker.<\/p>\n

The development comes on a huge day for Australian boxing, with Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu set to agree to terms for a domestic blockbuster in December this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is understood the Paro-Donovan and Zerafa-Tszyu bouts could be co-main features on a marquee fight card for leading promoter No Limit\u2019s final event of the year just weeks before Christmas.<\/p>\n

The other option is for Zerafa and Tszyu to headline in December, before Paro and Donovan square off in January pending negotiations with the Irishman\u2019s promoters Matchroom.<\/p>\n

It is a huge coup for Paro (27-1, 16KO), the Mackay mauler who made his welterweight debut last month and disposed of tough Frenchman David Papot in a 12-round war to secure the Donovan (14-2, 11KO) fight.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old is now within striking distance of another world-title shot, 18 months after he shocked the world with his mega defeat of Subriel Matias to claim the IBF super lightweight strap in June 2024.<\/p>\n

No Limit received paperwork from the IBF on Wednesday confirming the eliminator between newly-minted No.2 Paro and Donovan, who will be lured Down Under for the bout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are super excited to secure this opportunity for Liam,\u201d No Limit boss George Rose said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we signed Liam we said we would not only make him a superstar in Australia but to become a two-division world champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fight will secure a showdown with the champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiam is not only one of the best boxers in Australia, but one of the best in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiam showed in his last fight he is not only a sleek boxer but a tough-as-nails Aussie that never backs down.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiam is ready to finish the year with a bang and we have big plans to make him a world champion, just as we did with Tim Tszyu.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, Donovan lost a 12-round split decision to Crocker for the vacant IBF welterweight title in Belfast, Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

Five days later, Paro suffered a major eye injury against Papot, but showed incredible courage to hang on and consign the Frenchman to the first loss of his 32-fight career.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s understood No Limit are putting the finishing touches on a superb Christmas card, with Paro-Donovan and Zerafa-Tszyu to finish a drama-charged 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n

Should Paro overcome Donovan, he will face Crocker for the IBF welterweight world title in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my plan to become a two-division world champion,\u201d Paro said after his defeat of Papot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve conquered the world at super lightweight and now I plan to do it at 147.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I\u2019d gone up in weight earlier, I was feeling brain dead at 140, it was affecting my health, but I have more power and I\u2019m stronger at 147.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a man now. I\u2019m 29 years old and filling into my body and I\u2019m confident I can be a two-division world champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a young family so there is more on the table now. It\u2019s a short career and for now I am enjoying the process of fighting back in my home country with the support of No Limit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well-placed sources say the Zerafa-Tszyu fight will definitely happen after four years of bad blood between the camps.<\/p>\n

Zerafa was meant to fight Nikita\u2019s older brother Tim in 2021, only to pull out in fight week, prompting the Tszyu camp to accuse the Melburnian of being a coward.<\/p>\n

But this time, it\u2019s all systems go, with Nikita set to receive the green light from doctors to fight after being cleared of injury following his car-crash saga last weekend.<\/a><\/p>\n

No Limit are exploring a number of venues for the Tszyu-Zerafa grudge match, including Sydney and Newcastle, but the Brisbane Entertainment Centre shapes as a frontline contender for their final show of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queensland boxing sensation Liam Paro is on track to become a two-division world champion after being ordered to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,689,2802,132677,802,132671,132666,2057,132670,132674,77940,132672,132676,30028,132664,11850,94025,11876,3583,5492,677,132673,132665,85,132667,56804,5942,132663,132668,132669,9214,99450,2753,27650,132662,132675],"class_list":["post-217108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-boxing","tag-bitter-feud","tag-boxing","tag-boxing-sensation","tag-domestic-blockbuster","tag-europe","tag-finishing-touches","tag-frontline-contender","tag-green-light","tag-highest-ranked-contenders","tag-leading-promoter","tag-lewis-crocker","tag-marquee-fight-card","tag-michael-zerafa","tag-nigel-hallett","tag-nikita-tszyu","tag-northern-europe","tag-northern-ireland","tag-oceania","tag-queensland-boxing-sensation","tag-secures-world-title-eliminator","tag-sports","tag-super-lightweight-strap","tag-thomas-lisson","tag-tim-tszyu","tag-two-division-world-champion","tag-welterweight-debut","tag-welterweight-final-eliminator","tag-welterweight-title","tag-welterweight-world","tag-world-champion","tag-world-title-eliminator","tag-world-title-eliminator-blockbuster","tag-world-title-shot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}