Matthew Pover/MatchroomLewis Crocker will have to hit the road for his first title defense.
BoxingScene has confirmed that No Limit Boxing has claimed the promotional rights to Crocker’s mandatory IBF welterweight title defense versus Liam Paro. No Limit submitted a winning bid of $1,152,000, outpacing Matchroom Boxing’s $1,125,000 offer during Tuesday’s purse bid hearing from IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey.
No Limit represents Australia’s Paro, 27-1 (16 KOs), while Crocker, 22-0 (11 KOs), is with Matchroom Boxing.
Per IBF rules, Crocker is entitled to 65 per cent ($748,800) as the defending titleholder. The remaining 35 per cent ($403,200) would go to Paro as the mandatory challenger.
The fight must take place within 90 days of Tuesday’s hearing. A date and location were not yet confirmed as this goes to publication.
However, BoxingScene has learned – confirming an earlier report from Fight Freaks Unite founder and fellow #PurseBidHead Dan Rafael – that the bout could land on the March 28 Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman PBC on Prime pay-per-view event in Las Vegas. No Limit has a working relationship with PBC and TGB Promotions, specifically with former WBO 154lbs titlist Tim Tszyu.
Crocker claimed the IBF 147lbs title in a repeat win over Ireland’s Paddy Donovan last September 13 in his Belfast hometown. Their rematch came with the vacant belt at stake, six months after Crocker defeated Donovan via 8th round disqualification. Both fights took place in Belfast, the rematch which saw Crocker score two knockdowns en route to a majority decision.
For his first defense, Crocker was keen on an IBF-WBO unification clash with three-division titlist Devin Haney. Matchroom expressed greater interest in a rematch with Conah Walker, to the point of insisting it was likely next.
Neither scenario unfolded, as the IBF rejected a request from Matchroom for an optional defense, since both suggested dates (April 18 and April 25) exceeded the window for Crocker’s due mandatory title defense.
Furthermore, No Limit submitted its own letter opposing the granting of an exception. The IBF ultimately sided with the Australia-based company and subsequently ordered the mandatory title defense.
Paro was installed as the de facto mandatory shortly after Donovan withdrew from their ordered title eliminator. The two were due to meet on January 16 in Brisbane, but Donovan reportedly fell ill and was forced to drop out of the contest.
Paro was already the No. 2 contender after a 12-round win over unbeaten David Papot last September 18 in Tennyson, Australia. It was his second consecutive victory, both which followed
a December 2024 points loss to Richardson Hitchins to end his brief IBF 140lbs title reign.
