‘PRESSURE’ POLE PRIMES PARO’S PREPARATION

BRISBANE boxing’s boy wonder Liam Paro is closing in on his own world title shot just a year after he helped Jeff Horn score his famous victory against Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium.

The livewire world No.6 fights German prospect Robert Tlatlik in a sold-out, Fox-televised show at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Saturday week in his first big step to facing world junior-welterweight champ Maurice Hooker in America.

Undefeated in 14 fights, Paro says his Polish sparring partner Rafal Grabowski will be the key to victory next week.

Grabowski has just come from England where he was training with former world titleholder Amir Khan, and he and Paro have been slugging away furiously at Harry Costi’s Coorparoo Boxing Gym.

Paro said the undefeated Pole was the perfect training partner for the biggest test of his career.

“Rafal is a really good pressure fighter like the German I’m fighting,’’ Paro said.

“We flew him out to Brisbane two weeks ago and we have had some fantastic sparring sessions. This is the biggest fight of my life and I’m just so thrilled that the public have come out to support me and that Fox are showing the bout.”

Horn said Paro was instrumental in him beating Pacquiao.

“Liam is a real talent,’’ Horn said. “He gave me great sparring in the weeks leading up to the big win at Suncorp.” ANTHONY Mundine is promising the most meticulous preparation of his career in his quest to batter Jeff Horn at Suncorp Stadium on November 30 and has hired a rugby league fitness guru to help him.

The Queensland Government is expected to announce today its official support for the fight which involves a cash injection of about $1.5 million into the promotion.

Last year Annastasia Palaszczuk’s Government and Brisbane City Council together poured about $5 million into backing Horn’s victory against Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp but claim they recouped that money many times over with the huge boost to Queensland tourism generated by the crowd of more than 51,000 and a television audience in the hundreds of millions.

This time they are banking on thousands of interstate visitors to Brisbane for what is