Main Event – December 7 (Dec 8 JST), Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Matchroom Boxing Promotion
IBF World Super Lightweight Title Match
In the main event of the Matchroom Boxing show, IBF World Super Lightweight Champion Liam Paro (Australia, 25-0, 15 KOs) defended his title against the division’s No.1 contender Richardson Hitchins (USA, 18-0, 7 KOs). Hitchins won by decision to become the new world champion.
Against Paro, a southpaw who applied pressure using a long jab and launched lefts to both the head and body, Hitchins—making his first world title challenge—maintained a composed posture and looked for counters from the start. In the middle rounds, both fighters engaged actively, with Paro’s right hooks and straight lefts clashing with Hitchins’ straight rights in counter exchanges.
Paro, constantly moving his upper body and initiating exchanges, began to absorb more accurate jabs and right hands from Hitchins from the sixth round onward. In the closing rounds, Paro desperately tried to create openings, but Hitchins evaded with clever footwork and landed straight rights to stop Paro’s momentum and extend his lead. In the final round, Hitchins avoided Paro’s all-out attack and the bell marked the end of the fight.
The scores were 116-112, 116-112 for Hitchins, and a controversial 117-111 for Paro, resulting in a split decision. The 117-111 score in favor of Paro raised considerable questions.
Christopher Diaz vs. Henry Lebron – Super Featherweight Title Eliminator
In a fight for the WBA Fedecentro, IBF Latino, and NABO Super Featherweight titles, WBA world No.7 Christopher Diaz (Puerto Rico, 28-4, 18 KOs) faced off against IBF No.12 and WBA No.13 Henry Lebron (Puerto Rico, 19-0, 10 KOs). Lebron won by unanimous decision.
With Jorge Linares in his corner, Diaz kept a high guard and steadily pressured the southpaw Lebron, landing right straights and left hooks. Lebron used swift movement and fast combinations, while Diaz closed the distance effectively and mixed up his compact punches to head and body.
The fight saw intense exchanges as Diaz tried to press in with left hooks off his range-finding right, while Lebron relied on movement and combinations. In the end, Lebron’s consistent movement and ability to avoid being a stationary target earned him the win with scores of 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94.
Yankiel Rivera vs. Angel Gonzalez – WBC Silver Flyweight Title
WBA No.3, WBC No.9, WBO No.11 ranked Yankiel Rivera (Puerto Rico, 6-0, 2 KOs), holder of the WBA Continental Americas and WBO Intercontinental flyweight titles, faced undefeated Angel Gonzalez (USA, 14-0, 7 KOs) in a bout for the vacant WBC Silver Flyweight title. Rivera won by 4th-round TKO.
The southpaw Rivera applied pressure from the opening bell and dominated with his straight left. In Round 3, Rivera landed a counter right hook, scoring a knockdown. In Round 4, a left body uppercut dropped Gonzalez after a brief delay. Gonzalez beat the count, but Rivera calmly followed up and landed a counter straight left for a second knockdown. Although Gonzalez stood up again, referee Luis Pabon (Puerto Rico) stopped the bout.
Jalil Hackett vs. Jose Roman Vazquez – WBA North America Welterweight Title (10 Rounds)
In a WBA North America Welterweight title fight, champion Jalil Hackett (USA, 9-0, 7 KOs), ranked No.14 by the WBA, faced challenger Jose Roman Vazquez (Puerto Rico, 13-1, 6 KOs). Vazquez won by split decision with scores of 96-94, 96-94 for Vazquez and 94-96 for Hackett.
Hackett controlled the early rounds, but the 188 cm tall Vazquez began trading in Round 4, effectively landing counter left hooks. In the final rounds, Vazquez used his reach and landed combinations to take the edge and pull off an upset over the world-ranked Hackett.
It might be worth investigating whether the judge who scored the Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins title fight 117-111 in favor of Paro has a history of questionable scorecards in the past.
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