Australia's Liam Paro captured the IBF welterweight title with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Lewis Crocker in Brisbane.
All three judges scored the gruelling contest 115-113 in Paro's favour, crowning the 30-year-old a two-weight world champion and making him the first Australian-born boxer since Jeff Fenech to achieve the feat.
Paro, a former IBF light-welterweight champion, showcased resilience and ring craft to overcome Crocker, who was making the first defence of the title he won in Belfast last year. Despite being pushed to the brink in the closing rounds, the Australian weathered a fierce comeback to seal victory.
The win marks another remarkable chapter in Paro's career after losing his previous world title to Richardson Hitchins. Having stepped up to welterweight, he has now fulfilled his ambition of becoming a two-division world champion.
For Crocker, the defeat brings an end to his unbeaten professional record after 22 victories, though the Belfast fighter earned widespread praise for a courageous performance that nearly turned the fight in his favour late on.
"This means everything," said Paro. "I climbed the mountain before, got knocked down, and now I'm back on top. I want all the biggest fights next."
Crocker graciously accepted the result, praising Paro while acknowledging the razor-thin margins in a contest that lived up to its billing.
