Liam Paro Scores a Classic One-Punch KO Over Aussie Rival Brock Jarvis

Eddie Hearn, the face of Matchroom Boxing, has stated that the long-term goal of his company is global domination. Today, Matchroom made its first foray into Australia with a 7-bout card at a 2,200-seat amphitheater in South Brisbane.

In the featured bout, a junior welterweight affair slated for 12 rounds, 26-year-old Brisbane southpaw Liam Paro scored a stunning one-punch knockout of previously undefeated Brock Jarvis. A perfectly placed left hook knocked Jarvis flat on his back. He struggled to get upright but floundered like a fish out of water and the referee waived it off. It was all over in 149 seconds of the opening round.

Paro (23-0, 14 KOs) wasn’t known as a big puncher which made the sudden ending all the more surprising. In his previous bout in Tampa, he went “10” with fellow unbeaten Yomar Alamo to win a split decision. Brock Jarvis, a protégé of the old “Marrickville Mauler” Jeff Fenech, likewise had his previous bout in the U.S., overcoming a rough patch to score a fifth-round stoppage of his Mexican opponent in Fresno. He was 20-0 (18) heading in and although he was the underdog, was accorded the better chance of ending the fight with one punch.

Paro, who is of Italian descent, entered the bout ranked #2 behind Teofimo Lopez in the WBO ratings at 140 pounds. The WBO champion is Josh Taylor.

Other Bouts of Note

Heavyweight Demsey McKean, a 32-year-old Queenslander with an MMA and Muay Thai background, improved to 22-0 (14 KOs) with a third-round knockout over obscure, 38-year-old German import Patrick Korte (18-2-1) who was making his first appearance outside Germany. McKean, who was in Anthony Joshua’s camp for Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, ended the bout with a pair of left uppercuts that knocked the poorly-conditioned Korte on his back, bringing in the white towel. The official time was 2:59 of round three.

Skye Nicolson, a 27-year-old Aussie featherweight making her first appearance as a pro in her native country after fighting in the U.S., England, and Wales, improved to 5-0 with a wide 10-round decision over Tasmania’s Krystina Jacobs (6-4). Nicolson had Jacobs on the canvas in round four which was reflected into the scoring: 100-89, 99-90, 98-91.

A Tokyo Olympian who had 139 documented amateur bouts beginning at age 13, Nicolson has an interesting back story. Her brother is the late Jamie Nicolson, a boxer of considerable repute who died in a fatal car crash at age 22 before she was born.

Photo credit: AAP

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