CROFT EYES NO 7 HEAVEN
BRODIE Croft is poised to win the race to wear the coveted Broncos No 7 jersey over Tom Dearden for Friday’s season opener against Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane launches its 2021 campaign this week and new head coach Kevin Walters is set to bestow the halfback duties on the more experienced Croft.
Croft and Dearden have battled it out over the preseason to partner Anthony
Milford in the halves, as Walters mulled over the first major selection decision of his Broncos coaching career.
Both players were rotated through the No 7 role on multiple occasions during Monday’s training session.
But it’s understood Walters is leaning towards Croft, who started as Brisbane’s halfback in Round 1 last year before being axed mid-season in favour of Dearden by ex-coach Anthony Seibold.
FORMER Hawks Boxing prodigy Liam Paro continues to go from strength to strength after his 20th professional win on Friday night.
Now his promoter Angelo Di Carlo has earmarked him for a world title bout this year.
The talented North Queenslander remains undefeated in his boxing career, and hope is well and truly alive for a WBO decisive clash to come to Townsville in 2021.
When Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez fight on May 22 for all four major world belts, a likely contender for Terrance Crawford will then step up and leave a vacant global mantle.
Di Carlo said that could open the door for Paro, the second-ranked junior welterweight on the planet, to take on Englishman Jack Catterall – and there was a very real possibility it could take place in Townsville.
He said the June 26 Fight For Our Future showcase – in which Paro will take on Mark Flanagan – would give him an idea of what sort of crowd his tyro could draw and whether a spectacle at Queensland Country Bank Stadium could be billed.
“I think, obviously everything going well, he should enter the ring before the end of the year for a world title, hopefully in Townsville,” Di Carlo said. “What will happen is it will more than likely be a vacant world title, so that means we’ll go to first bids.
“The good thing about a vacant world title is it’s a 50-50 first bid, so we won’t come to an agreement because they’ll want it in England.
“I want to bring it to Townsville, because I think it’s a place like Melbourne where they
love their sport and support their sport. It’s definitely a matter of ‘ when’ (he fights for the title). I actually feel like we have a better chance.”
Paro was in a realm of his own in taking down Terry Tzouramanis and became the first man to stop the 35-yearold in 31 bouts, winning by technical knock out in the seventh round.
After the North Queenslander dropped his rival in the second round, Tzouramanis was forced into a negative mindset and became too defensive to make an impact.
Di Carlo has assembled a fruitful stable of Townsvilleraised pugilists under his Ace Boxing banner, with Paro, Flanagan and young gun Jalen Tait featured.
Di Carlo admitted he had always had an affinity with the region, hence his desire to help bring the Fight For Our Future event to fruition.
He said the wealth of boxers who had only begun to scratch the surface of their potential made the prospect of a world championship crown being awarded in the North all the more tantalising.
“I’ve always been passionate about that region,” he said.
“If you have a look to the days of Mark Flanagan, he’s been with me for eight or nine years; I got him to two world titles and it’s an area I always thought has a lot of talent.”