SPARRING PARTNER’S WORLD TITLE SHOT

BRISBANE’S brilliant boxing prospect Liam Paro helped Jeff Horn become world welterweight champion, and now the slick undefeated southpaw will fight for his own world title next month.

Horn will be ringside at the Southport Sharks on May 19 when southpaw Paro, 22, faces unbeaten and almost unpronounceable Czech fighter Sebastian Bytyqi for a World Youth Title.

Paro, who has won 13 fights, stopped English-born Melbourne fighter Andrew Wallace for the Australian light-welterweight title last month.

He and Horn resumed sparring last week for the world champion’s rescheduled June 9 showdown with undefeated American Terence Crawford at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In a shock move, Crawford will spar with Horn’s last opponent Gary Corcoran for the fight.

Paro, who learned his boxing in Mackay and Townsville, has similar silky moves to Crawford when the American switch-hitter turns from orthodox to a southpaw stance.

Horn said he could not be happier with the work Paro was giving him ahead of the biggest challenge of Horn’s life in a fight that will pay the “Fighting Schoolteacher” $2.5 million.

“Liam is just such a clever fighter,’’ Horn said.

“He was a huge help before the Manny Pacquiao fight at Suncorp last year when I won the world title and the sparring he is giving me is a huge boost for the Crawford fight.

“Liam’s fast and evasive and he is really cool under pressure, too. He’s great to work with for such an important fight.”

Paro’s big fight next month is for the WBO World Youth Title which is open to boxers aged 24 or under.

Bytyqi is unbeaten in 11 fights.

His best win was in 2016 when he outpointed Tanzania’s veteran Francis Miyeyusho in the Czech Republic.

BILLY DIB HAS SHOT AT FARMER
BILLY Dib, the former world featherweight champ, will fight American Tevin Farmer for the International Boxing Federation super-featherweight belt.

Farmer and Dib were given 30 days to negotiate a deal — which ends on May 3.

The move comes after the Nevada State Athletic Commission stripped Kenichi Ogawa of his IBF super-featherweight title, which he won by beating Farmer on December 9, after the 30-year-old’s pre-fight tests were positive for two forms of androstanediol.

Farmer (25-4-1, 5 KOs), who many felt had easily won the contest with Ogawa, has been out of the ring since that loss.

Dib, a former IBF featherweight champion, has won four in a row since being stopped by then WBC champion Takashi Miura in May of 2015.

He is trained by Jeff Fenech.

If Dib wins he has a ready-made foe in unbeaten super-featherweight Gervonta Davis (20-0, 19 KOs) who scored a spectacular third-round KO over Jesus Cuellar (28-3, 21 KOs) to claim the vacant WBA 130lb “super” world title at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York on April 21.

Davis, who lost the IBF 130-pound title on the scales last August, scored three knockdowns in less than three rounds to win his second title in the super featherweight division.

Referee Benjy Esteves stepped in to halt the contest at 2:45.

“I want the IBF belt back and I’m ready to unify it with whoever wins the [Tevin] Farmer vs. [Billy] Dib fight,’’ Davis said.

AARON RUSSELL’S BIG TEST IN JAPAN
AUSTRALIAN heavyweight Aaron Russell (10-4, 4 KOs) will challenge Japan’s

WBO No. 6 Kyotaro Fujimoto (18-1, 10 KOs in Tokyo on May 7.

A fleet-footed speedster Kyotaro is making his third defence of his OPBF belt and is gunning for a world title shot in the near future.

Russell thanked his manager Angelo Di Carlo and said winning the fight could see him take Fujimoto’s world rankings.

``My trainer Chris McCullen has a plan worked out to be able to win this fight. My team mates are helping out with a solid prep and I can’t wait for this opportunity. There will be friends and family coming over with me and I thank them very much for making the effort.’’

KRIS GEORGE HITS ENGLAND
TOOWOOMBA’S Kris George will defend his Commonwealth welterweight title for the second time against former Olympian and unbeaten prospect Josh Kelly on June 16 in Newcastle, England

KAMBOSOS SIGNS US DEAL
WBA No. 5 lightweight George Kambosos has signed with DiBella Entertainment and will be making his USA debut on May 5.

``I have been a fan of George Kambosos from afar for a long time; he is a genuine talent,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.

``George is not only one of the most talented prospects in boxing, but he possesses the charisma and the character to become a star. I will continue to heavily promote George in Australia, but I have no doubt of his ability to conquer the United States and inevitably become a force the world over.”

Kambosos is trained by fellow Australian Justin Fortune in Los Angeles.

BRUBAKER FACES SLICK NURSE
THE next instalment of the wildly successful Johnny Lewis’ Boxing Series will be held on May 24 at The Star, Sydney, headlined by a world class welterweight showdown between Sydney’s ‘Gelignite’ Jack Brubaker (13-2-1) and classy Englishman Tyrone Nurse (35-3-2).

The bout will act as a final eliminator for the Commonwealth Welterweight Title held by Queensland’s Kris George, who beat Brubaker in a bout stopped on a cut at the Johnny Lewis’ Boxing Series event in October 2017.

``My record might say I had a loss in my most recent fight but as far as I’m concerned I beat Kris George and this kind of fight is the logical next step in my career. I was hurting Kris and he only had a round or two left in him but I rushed looking for a highlight reel stoppage and got cut,” says Brubaker.

``I learnt a valuable lesson about composure in that fight and that’s what I’ll take into this fight with Tyrone Nurse, who is a great boxer. He’s a good style for me and I will look good in this fight. He will box and move and he’s a tough test but he is moving up to fight me at welterweight, in my hometown, in front of my fans. I can’t wait.”

``If you want to be the best you have to beat the best and I could have gone back and had some warm up fights against journeymen but I want to keep stepping up and that’s why I’m fighting Tyrone Nurse. After I beat him I’d be happy to fight Kris George again if he’s still got the Commonwealth Title. We tried really hard to get him to agree to a rematch after the cut and he didn’t want a bar of it.

``Regardless, when I get past Tyrone Nurse there will be plenty of doors open up for me. He’s a legitimate name.”

The undercard sees the Sydney return of the entertaining former IBO Super Middleweight Champion Renold Quinlan (12-3), fresh from his ‘Fight of the Year’ contender against Damien Hooper in Brisbane.

Quinlan faces the undefeated former Australian Commonwealth Games representative Mark Lucas (9-0) in a final eliminator for the Commonwealth Middleweight Title, currently held by Englishman Liam Cameron.

The impressive Tim Tszyu (8-0) will face his second straight undefeated opponent when he defends his WBC Asian Super Welterweight Title against Thailand’s Atchariya Wirojanasunobol (9-0).

PACQUIAO CAN’T WAIT FOR TITLE SHOT AGAINST MATTHYSE
HE wouldn’t fight a rematch with Jeff Horn but Manny Pacquiao says he can’t wait for his July 14 slugfest with WBA welterweight champ Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Matthysse has vowed to pull off a knockout victory.

After fulfilling his obligations in the two-city promotional engagement — in Manila and Kuala Lumpur — Matthysse will train in Indio, California under Joel Diaz.

Diaz is the same man who trained Timothy Bradley for his first two fights with Pacquiao.

The bout against Matthysse will mark Pacquiao’s return to the ring after losing his WBO welterweight title to Jeff Horn in July 2017.

He is unlikely to have long-time coach Freddie Roach in his corner this time.

The 35-year-old Matthysse, who has 39 wins including 36 by knockout against four defeats, won the vacant World Boxing Association belt after beating Thailand’s Teerachai Sithmorseng in January.

``This is going to be a tough fight. Matthysse is also a knockout artist,” Pacquiao said.

``I’m the underdog in this fight but I’m used to it. It serves as a big motivation for me to train and fight hard to win the crown,” he added.

HOGAN’S HEROES LOOK TO FUTURE
DENNIS Hogan’s promoter Paul Keegan said he was over the moon that 106,277 screens reportedly tuned into his Revolution card on April 7 when the Brisbane-based Irishman beat Enfland’s world No. 3 junior-middleweight over 12 rounds.

``With an average of three people watching per screen we are looking at over 300,000 to have witnessed one of the biggest boxing events in Australia,’’ he said.

``With Irish TV broadcasting the event last night and FOX SPORTS showing it we expect our number to jump up to 500,000. We haven’t even included our social media reach.

``Our goal was 25,000 viewers so to smash that target is unbelievable

DDP are not resting on their laurels after their record-breaking show on April 7 with the launch of their new platform FUTR designed to help new and emerging professional boxers develop their brand and become household names.

``FUTR is a platform specifically designed to develop young talent by giving them ring-time and acting as a feeder program for our bigger shows,” says Paul Keegan, managing director of DDP Sports.

``Professional boxing has never had a development program to assist boxers get started in the pro game. We believe that by helping young boxers stay busy we can assist them with building their brand, establishing a fan base, and helping them navigate some of the trickier aspects of the sport.”

DDP Sports will be producing a minimum of four FUTR shows in Australia per year at a venue to be confirmed. The first FUTR show is scheduled to take place on Friday, June 29 and will feature Commonwealth Games silver medallist Joe Goodall in his second pro bout alongside his Stretton Boxing Club teammate Nathan Webber 5-0 (2 KO's).

Matchmaker Stuart Duncan has been tasked with putting the best up-and-comers in with good quality opponents in fights that will further their careers should they win.

DDP Sports Management is the brainchild of Paul Keegan, Danny Dimas and Dennis Hogan, now the No. 2 junior-middleweight in the world and knocking on the door of a world title shot.