Infotainment Factory: How 'absolute torture' led Aussie to world title fight

An injury that made for "absolute f---ing torture" robbed Liam Paro of a world title shot and forced him out of the sport, but it also rekindled the Australian's passion for boxing.

The 27-year-old Mackay product is now on the cusp of his first world title bout as he prepares for a fight against American Montana Love in San Francisco on Sunday (AEDT), in which the rivals will be squaring off for the WBO super-lightweight belt.

Paro stunned the Australian boxing scene when he defeated the prodigious Brock Jarvis with a monumental first-round knockout last year. It left him hungry to "steamroll" this year.

"But the world had different plans, God had different plans," the 23-0 boxer told Wide World of Sports.

His love of boxing has never been stronger than during his Las Vegas training camp en route to Sunday's clash.

"Being forced away from the sport made me realise how much I love it and it reignited the fire in my belly that I haven't had for a long time. I think it was the world giving me that one final test to see how dedicated I am to boxing. Now it's full steam ahead," Paro said.

"It's just the competitiveness [that I love about boxing]. It's hard to explain, but if you talk to anyone that's started boxing they'd tell you it's a boxing bug. Once it's in you it's just stuck with you. It's just the dedication.

"It's hard at the start but you start making it to top fights and it definitely gives you a lot of financial stability, it gives you a better life, sets you up.

"It's also a dream I've had since I was a young kid, you know? And I'm so close to making it a reality, you know what I mean? It's inches away, so it'd be pretty stupid to give it up now."

Paro suffered his first setback of the year when British authorities refused to tick off a fight against Robbie Davies Jr in Liverpool, denying him the chance because of a broken orbital bone. He still cannot pinpoint the moment he suffered the facial fracture.

He was then supposed to fight American Regis Prograis in New Orleans in June, but a small Achilles tear stripped him of what should have been his debut world title bout.

"It was a rollercoaster of a year with injuries ... It was a horrible start and middle of the year, I would say, probably the worst of my life, and it was just a massive mental test, for sure," Paro said.

Liam Paro defeated Brock Jarvis with a first-round knockout in 2022.

"I was up home with my family around my loved ones ... I was lucky they were there because they were pretty scary times."

Love, the man Paro will fight this week, has a professional record of 18-1-1. Australia's Stevie Spark dealt the American his first loss in Cleveland last year.

Paro is set for his second fight in the US. He made his American debut against Puerto Rico's Yomar Alamo in 2021.

"Training's been unbelievable. Believe it or not, after the injuries, the horrible year I've had, this has been the best camp I think I've had in my 23 fights as a pro," said Paro, a fighter in the Matchroom Boxing stable.

"All the little niggling injuries that I usually carry through camps have healed in the times I've had these major injuries. It's definitely the best shape I've been in physically and mentally in my career, I believe. I'm just super excited to be back, super blessed to be back healthy and injury-free."