01/12/2024
Paro vs Hitchens
This is a very interesting fight that has flown under the radar. It features two fighters who are not well known to "Boxing Casuals" and most "Hardcore" fans. It may or may not shock you to find out that this is a World Title fight between two unbeaten fighters.
History:
In the red 🔴 corner you have Richardson "The Clinchman" Hitchins. Who represented Haiti at The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, where he lost to Gary Antuanne Russell. Hitchins has exceptional footwork matched with an adaptable long guard out of his orthodox stance. But looked very mortal in his last fight against Jose Zepada and hasn't scored a KO in over 2 years.
In the blue 🔵 corner you have Liam "The Prodigy" Paro. Who went largely under the radar. His most notable feat before becoming World Champion being a sparring partner for Jeff Horn in the run up to his shock victory over Manny Pacquiao. Paro shocked the world by beating avoided World Champion Subriel Matias for his IBF Super Lightweight strap in Matias's backyard of Puerto Rico earlier this year.
This fight seemed likely to feature Devin Haney before court proceeding started with Ryan Garcia over their infamous bout alongside the rumoured issues with his former co promoter Eddie Hearn and Matchroom with Hitchins stepping in after several rumoured replacements.
Fight Breakdown:
Hitchins has the superior footwork with his more active stance and balanced posture. Paro has the edge in punching power. Hitchins has the faster hands and a more diverse punch selection. Hitchins is the more advanced inside fighter with his arm traps and framing. Paro has attacking footwork that may cause Hitchins issues, as he often cuts angels after the first phase of his attack. Hitchins has the better defence, but I'll caveat that as they both have frailties in this area(which I have broken down):
•Hitchins uses single shield which can cause him issues if the punch trajectory of his opponent is misjudged.
•Paro has an inactive high guard and can revert to ducking in when attacked with foot pressure.
Prediction:
Hitchins by majority decision but he may need to come back from a knockdown to do so. I think this fight will look similar to Zepeda vs Farmer but with less volume.
