Junior welterweight contender Liam Paro 23-0 (14) is ready to put an injury-plagued year behind him when he takes on Montana Love 18-1-1 (9) at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California on Saturday night.
The all-southpaw battle will be the co-feature to the WBC junior welterweight title fight between champion Regis Prograis 29-1 (24) and challenger Devin Haney 30-0 (15).
The undefeated 27-year-old Australian had his fight against Robbie Davies Jr 23-4 (15) cancelled by the British Boxing Board of Control after they discovered a small facial fracture in the weeks leading up to the March 11 bout.
Paro returned to the gym to prepare for a world title challenger against Prograis in June before chronic tendonitis in both Achilles forced him to withdraw from the bout.
Now fully fit, Paro has a point to prove against Cleveland, Ohio’s once-beaten Love, 28.
“Mate, it was disheartening,” Paro admitted to ProBox TV. “I went through hell and back. It was a very hard mental test. It’s your dream getting shattered – you think that’s it. There were times I didn’t know where I was – if it was going to come back, being an Achilles tendon – it’s a serious injury. I was glad I was around my loved ones and family at that time. It definitely helped me through.
“It was very disappointing. That was what I’d dreamed of as a young kid – getting taken away by injury. But God has a plan and the world works in mysterious ways. It wasn’t my time – it’s in the past now and I’m just tunnel vision forward and I know I’ll get my shot.
“The time away made me miss boxing. Made me fall back in love with the sport. It’s got my mindset stronger and I’m ready for everything.
“[The injury caused] blood, sweat and tears – it was disheartening. It still is my dream. For it to be so close and then taken, it was shattering. I’m just happy to be back.
“I thought I was [in love with boxing] until it was taken from me. You don’t realise how much you love something until it’s taken from you and it was taken from me in that fashion and it was so close to being a reality – to being my dream. That made me realise when I was forced away – when I was bed ridden; couch ridden – that I do love this shit and I can’t wait to be back.”
Southpaw Prograis, 34, successfully defended the WBC strap against Danielito Zorrilla 17-2 (13) in an ugly fight in New Orleans in June, winning via split decision after dropping the Puerto Rican in the third.
It should have been Paro in the ring that night, but the Brisbane native knows that his time will come.
“Seeing Prograis fight on the night – he didn’t have his best performance – it was even worse having the hundreds of messages saying, ‘You would have beaten him’,” Paro said. “I’m just happy I’m back.