Paro often boxed off the back foot. He showed the strength and power to push Matias back and gain his respect.
"It was an absolute masterclass. ... It wasn't even close," said Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, who promotes both Paro and Matias. "... To come to Puerto Rico, the backyard of the guy that nobody wanted to fight, that is a massive win for Liam Paro, a massive win for Australian boxing."
The road victory was the second consecutive for Paro, who scored a career-best win in December in San Francisco with a sixth-round KO of American Montana Love.
Liam Paro's win over Subriel Matias, ESPN's No. 2 boxer at 140 pounds, spoiled the homecoming of Matias, left, in boxing-crazed Puerto Rico. Amanda Westcott/Matchroom
Known as one of boxing's top action fighters, Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) previously stopped all 20 of his opponents. (Petros Ananyan outpointed Matias in 2020 but was TKO'd in Round 9 of the 2022 rematch.)
