The early 2026 schedule has already suffered its first casualty.
An attractive IBF welterweight title eliminator between Liam Paro and Paddy Donovan will no longer move forward, promoter No Limit Boxing confirmed. The two were due to meet in the co-feature to the January 16 Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa grudge match in Paro’s hometown of Brisbane, Australia.
However, it was revealed that Ireland’s Donovan pulled out of the fight reportedly due to a bout with the flu.
“I’m gutted the fight is off. I’ve put in a full camp, flown world-level sparring over to prepare and done everything right,” Paro said in a statement provided to BoxingScene and other outlets. “I was ready to put on a show in Brisbane. When it’s taken away this close, of course it stings.”
The bout was previously ordered in mid-October, roughly one month after Paro’s full-fledged welterweight debut and Donovan’s second straight defeat to Lewis Crocker in September.
Paro’s first fight as an official welterweight came in a 12-round, unanimous decision over unbeaten David Papot on September 18 in Tennyson, Australia. The win was the second in a row for Paro, 27-1 (16 KOs) following a gutting 12-round points loss to Richardson Hitchins last December 7 to end his IBF 140lbs title stay after just six months.
There was a point when Paro considered an eliminator at 140lbs before he opted to move up in weight. He looked the part in his win over Papot, which came just five days after Donovan’s 1st major title fight ended in defeat.
Donovan, 14-2 (12 KOs), fought on relatively even terms with Crocker, 22-0 (11 KOs), for 12 rounds, only for a pair of suffered knockdowns to prove the difference on the cards. The 26-year-old Limerick southpaw was down in the 3rd and 5th rounds, which left him just short in the eyes of two of the three judges in a September 13 split decision defeat in Belfast.
Their clash came with the vacant IBF 147lbs title at stake. A win on January 16 would have put Donovan on course for a trilogy clash with Crocker, against whom he was disqualified for hitting after the bell in the 8th round of their March 1 meeting in Belfast.
Instead, the Irishman’s next move is unclear as there are roadblocks to every other welterweight title.
Meanwhile, Paro and his team are forced to adjust to his opponent’s decision to walk away.
“It’s extremely disappointing to see Donovan’s team pull out of a world title eliminator,” stated George Rose, CEO of No Limit, who promotes Paro. “These opportunities are rare. Liam’s preparation and motivation for this fight were next level.
“That said, our focus now shifts back to Liam Paro chasing the world title and we won’t miss a step in making it happen.”
The true casualty in this development echoed those sentiments, even if in less diplomatic fashion.
“To be honest, it feels like he never wanted the smoke,” Paro insisted. “Took forever to sign the contract and now pulls out with the flu. I’ve battled through training camps before with sickness, including for the Matias world title but fighter’s fight.
“I was coming in fit, confident, and ready to make a statement, and maybe he saw that. He was just going to be a statistic on my record anyways. My focus hasn’t changed one bit. I’m coming for Lewis Crocker and the world title next. I will be a two-time and two-division champion… I should not and cannot be denied.”
The rest of the show remains intact, including the scheduled 10-round regional middleweight title fight between Tszyu, 11-0 (9 KOs), and Zefara, 34-5 (22 KOs). Local heavyweight Demsey McKean, 23-2 (15 KOs), and former 130lbs title challenger Liam Wilson, 17-3 (9 KOs), appear in separate bouts.
