Responding to a graphic showing the current welterweight titleholders, Hitchins said on X:
“By the way, Liam [Paro] beats all them with the exception of Maybe Devin Haney, and he f*** around and clip him too 🤭”
Ryan Garcia quickly fired back on X.
“You lost your damn mind.”
The exchange came less than a day after Paro (28-1, 16 KOs) captured the IBF welterweight title from Crocker. The judges scored it for Paro by identical margins of 115-113, reflecting how competitive the contest was throughout the 12 rounds.
Hitchins’ comments also carry an obvious personal angle. The unbeaten New Yorker defeated Paro by a 12-round split decision in December 2024, handing him the only loss of his professional career. If Paro goes on to establish himself as one of the top fighters at 147 pounds, Hitchins’ victory immediately gains additional value.
Paro earned praise for defeating Crocker and becoming a two-division world champion. However, he has yet to face Ryan, Rolly, Haney, or any of the other champions at welterweight.
Ryan currently holds the WBC welterweight title, Haney owns the WBO belt, and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero is the WBA champion. Paro’s victory over Crocker added the IBF title to the mix, giving the division four different titleholders and creating several potential unification fights in the months ahead.
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