Overview
- The 12-round IBF welterweight title fight between champion Lewis Crocker (22-0) and challenger Liam Paro (27-1) is confirmed for Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane.
- This will be Crocker’s first defence of the belt and his first professional fight outside Europe as he bases his camp in Brisbane ahead of the midweek bout.
- Paro arrives with high stakes and a personal backstory, saying he once slept in a 'little blue Corolla' while chasing boxing and aiming to become a two-weight world champion.
- Promoter No Limit Boxing won the purse bid with a national-record $1.152 million offer, beating Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom by $27,000 and securing hosting rights and the financial split.
- The fight will be shown on Fox Sports Australia with published start times for prelims and the main card, and the event has generated heated promotional rhetoric including Paro’s criticism of Hearn’s absence and Crocker embracing an underdog tag; a Paro win would raise his earning power and spotlight Australian boxing.