Liam Paro can laugh about it now.
The world-title contender who is one win away from carving his name into Australian boxing folklore once slept in the front seat of a battered blue Toyota Corolla, wondering where his next meal was coming from and whether his dream was worth the sacrifice.
This Wednesday night, the 30-year-old Paro (27-1) will fight unbeaten Northern Irishman Lewis Crocker (22-0) for the IBF welterweight world title at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena.
Victory would see the Mackay mauler become Australia’s first male boxer since the legendary Jeff Fenech 39 years ago to win world titles in two weight divisions.
It is a staggering prospect for a fighter who, exactly a decade ago, was so desperate to make it as a pro boxer he was briefly homeless.
Paro, nicknamed ‘The Prodigy’, was too scared to call his father for help. Instead, he suffered in silence. Near broke, he broke through. The blue-collar battler has gone from his blue Corolla to blue-chip boxing superstar.
“I was working at the fruit markets at Rocklea at night, doing anything I could to get by,” Paro recalled.
“For a couple of weeks I lived in my little blue Corolla.
“I was stuck for a little bit, I had nowhere to stay, so I was living in the ‘Carol’, as I called her (the car) then.
“It was a crazy time, but it’s part of the story.
“I didn’t want to call mum or dad because they wanted me to get a normal job, but I went down to Brisbane to make it in boxing.
“I had every reason to give up and go back to a secure job, but I knew what I was capable of.”
Paro’s golden rise is one of Australian sport’s great untold success stories.
Long before he conquered Puerto Rico’s “killer” Subriel Matias to claim his first world championship in 2024, before the bright lights and $1 million opportunities, he was a teenager prepared to risk everything on a dream.
He walked away from an electrical apprenticeship despite warnings from family and friends that he was gambling with his future.
Many questioned his sanity. Paro never questioned his purpose.
“A lot of people asked me what my Plan B was,” he said.
“I always felt that if I had a Plan B, I was already thinking about failure.
“I had one plan and I had to make it work.”
The gamble has paid off spectacularly.
Two years ago this week, Paro produced the performance of his life to dethrone the “boogeyman” Matias, then the most feared man at super lightweight, and join Australia’s elite club of world champions.
He later lost the belt to Richardson Hitchins but a move up from super lightweight to welterweight has put the classy southpaw back in the world-title frame.
“I’ve experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows,” he said.
“I won a world title, lost it and now I’m back.
“True champions are judged on how they respond to adversity.
“My back has been against the wall before and I’ve shown I can fight my way through it.”
Paro insists there has been no luck involved in his ascent. The 29-year-old bristles at suggestions he has somehow stumbled into success.
“The thing I hate hearing most is people saying I’m lucky,” he said.
“There’s nothing lucky about it.
“I created my own luck through hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
“It’s been a long road to get here, but I’d do it all again a thousand times over.”
Crocker arrives as the undefeated champion, carrying an unblemished record and the confidence that comes with holding the belt.
Paro respects him. He just doesn’t fear him.
“I hope Crocker comes in 110 per cent because he’s going to get the best version of Liam Paro,” he said.
“He’s undefeated and he has the belt, so you have to respect that.
“But on Wednesday night it’s business.
“I’m very confident people will see a new world champion.
“I’m a few days away from potentially putting my name in the history books forever.”
Originally published as How Aussie boxing sensation Liam Paro went from sleeping in his car to fighting for a second world title
