(March 28th) Subriel Matías makes a homecoming return to Puerto Rico when he defends his IBF World Jr. Welterweight title against Liam Paro at the Coliseo Juan Aubín Cruz Abreu in Manatí on Saturday June 15th, live worldwide on DAZN.

Matías (20-1 20 KOs) landed the vacant IBF Jr. Welterweight title last February, forcing Jeremias Ponce to retire after five rounds of their clash in Minnesota, and successfully defended his title against mandatory challenger Shohjahon Ergashev in November, forcing another retirement, this time after six rounds in Las Vegas, continuing his incredible record of finishing all of his victories inside the distance.

The 31 year old puts the title on the line for the second time in a hotly anticipated clash that marks his return to fighting in his homeland for the first time since November 2019, a 12th fight at home and the most important so far for the fearsome puncher who is eager to put on a show and move towards unification battles.

“I am super excited to be able to be in front of my people defending the title that we had such a hard time getting,” said Matías. “The mentality will always be the same and in front of my people I don't even have to say it, they know me. The Pride of Maternillo.”

Paro (24-0 15 KOs) is looking to spoil the party and the Australian challenger has no fear in entering enemy territory to do so in his first World title fight. The 27 year old was at his spiteful best in his last outing, flooring Montana Love twice in a six-round bludgeoning in San Francisco in December. The unbeaten southpaw was previously ruled out of a first World title fight with Regis Prograis through injury, but now lands the chance to rip the title from one of the most feared champions in the sport, and Paro is champing at the bit for his opportunity.

“I’ve waited my whole life for this opportunity,” said Paro. “Fighter’s fight and I can’t wait to fight the boogeyman in his backyard.”

June 15 represents Matchroom’s first event in Puerto Rico, and it’s the first fight with Matías after he signed a co-promotional deal with Matchroom and Fresh Productions.

“Puerto Rico is preparing for a world-class event with the expected second defense of champion Subriel Matias,” said Juan Orengo, Fresh Productions. “We expect a night full of action and excitement for boxing fans. I thank the Mayor of Manatí, Honorable José Sanchez for his commitment and collaboration to make this event at the home of the Osos de Manatí.”

“The celebration of this important event headed by Subriel Matias in our city's coliseum not only highlights local talent, but also has a significant impact on our economy and tourism,” said Mayor of Manatí, Honorable José Sanchez.

“Sporting events of this magnitude attract visitors from all over which boost the economic activity of our city through spending on lodging, gastronomy, transportation and other related activities. In addition, by highlighting Manatí as a destination for high-caliber sporting events, we are strengthening our position in the tourism sector and promoting long-term economic growth. 

“We are excited to see the benefits this event will bring to our city, both in terms of sporting prestige and economic development, and we look forward to welcoming the fans who will come to enjoy this exciting event in our coliseum.

“I am so excited to be bringing Subriel back home for his second World title defense,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “It’s an honor for Matchroom to be heading to Puerto Rico for the first time and there’s no doubt that Subriel and Liam will produce an epic battle to mark the occasion.

“We want to thank the Mayor of Manatí, Honorable José Sanchez and his office for working with us to make this happen, and we promise to deliver a night to remember on June 15.”

Tickets for Matías vs. Paro will go on sale on April 5 via Ticketera.com

About DAZN Group
DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialization. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sport destination, as well as the popular sport portal, DAZN News. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is now live in more than 200 countries and territories after first launching in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan in 2016.

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.  Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.  

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League. With the most authentic voice in the sport, DAZN is the only brand that can reach across all markets and audiences cohesively in boxing, unlike any other broadcaster. DAZN is also a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.  DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.  

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialise, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.  

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries.

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalogue and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including Playstation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and find the app on their iPhone, iPad, android and mobile.  

About Matchroom Boxing

After the success of snooker in the 1980s, Matchroom Sport moved into boxing with two small hall shows followed by Frank Bruno v Joe Bugner at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground – the biggest boxing event of 1987. That launched the company into the boxing big-time, a position it has maintained ever since.

Through the 1990s Matchroom Sport’s boxing roster featured many of the biggest names in the sport including Lennox Lewis, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and Naseem Hamed, all in world title fights and it continues to work with some of the biggest names in UK boxing including Audley Harrison, the 2000 Olympic Super-Heavyweight gold medalist.

Over the years, Matchroom Sport has built up long-standing relationships with broadcasters around the world and with the advent of the Prizefighter phenomenon, the company’s boxing division has never been in a stronger position.

From fantastic six round scraps between the sport’s journeymen, up to multi-million-dollar World Championship contests featuring the above fighters, the Pro Box series has it all. Each show is packed with the very best in boxing action in a series that encompasses almost 25 years of Matchroom Sport’s commitment to bringing the highest quality to the global television market.