Paro promoter No Limit Boxing announced on Tuesday that they beat Crocker promoter Matchroom Boxing in a purse bid to stage the fight in the land down under. The difference came down to $27,000, as George Rose submitted a winning bid of $1,152,000 compared to $1,125,000 from Eddie Hearn. Crocker, from Northern Ireland, will take home 65 percent of the pot with a purse of $748,800, while the mandatory challenger Paro, from Queensland, gets the remaining 35 percent at $403,200, albeit from the comforts of fighting on home territory. Rose and company have 90 days to announce a date and location for the fight, per IBF rules. “This is everything I’ve wanted,” Paro said. “I never got the chance as a world champion to defend a title on home soil, so to now fight for another world title in Australia is something special. “No Limit Boxing went to work and delivered this. They backed me, they believed in me, and now we get to do this in front of Australian fans. I’ve already proven I can win a world title anywhere. Now it’s time to make history at home, follow in the footsteps of a legend like Jeff Fenech, and become a two-time world champion.”

Paro (27-1, 16 KOs) is riding a two-fight winning streak since suffering the lone loss of his career against Richardson Hitchins in December 2024 in the first defense of Hitchins' 140-pound IBF title. Paro scored a career-best win against Subriel Matias on the road in Puerto Rico in June 2024 to become a titleholder for the first time. Paro last fought in September, scoring a unanimous decision win against David Papot. He was supposed to face Paddy Donovan on January 16 in an IBF title eliminator, but Donovan pulled out of the fight citing illness nearly three weeks prior. Crocker (22-0, 11 KOs) is coming off back-to-back wins against Donovan, a March victory via disqualification and a September win by split decision for the vacant IBF 147-pound title. Crocker enjoyed a home-field advantage during his clashes against Donovan, as they were in his backyard in Belfast. But now, Crocker, who has never fought outside of the United Kingdom, will have to travel nearly 10,000 miles to defend his title in a battle between 29-year-olds. Neither Crocker nor Paro is in The Ring’s top 10 rankings at 147 pounds. “To outbid Matchroom and Eddie Hearn and bring this fight home is massive," said Rose. "Not just for Liam, but for the sport in this country. This is what No Limit Boxing is built on. We promised Liam world-class opportunities when he signed with us less than 12 months ago, and now he’s fighting for a second world title on Australian soil. “There is no better feeling than making dreams come true, something I know will live with Liam forever. Now the hard work starts to put on a spectacular show. It’s a historic moment and we’re proud to be delivering it.” Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.