Elvis Rodriguez emerges as a new challenger for Subriel Matias in his homecoming world title defense in Puerto Rico this summer. The previously reported fight against Liam Paro appears to be no longer in play.
Subriel Matias (20-1, 20 KOs) of Fajardo, Puerto Rico is set to defend his IBF super lightweight title for the second time. The outing marks the first time the 31-year-old makes his home ring appearance since November 2019.
Once-beaten Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) is riding a four-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old southpaw stopped Viktor Postol in the seventh round last time out in July 2023. Last February, the native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic took a majority decision against Joseph Adorno. His sole career defeat goes to May 2021, when he dropped a majority decision against Kenneth Sims Jr.
The fight against Liam Paro (24-0, 15 KOs) was rumoured early February. However, as first reported by Bad Left Hook, Jake Donovan’s post on X states that the undefeated Australian contender “initially agreed but his team had a change of heart due to standoff on final compensation”. The post was published quoting JuliusJulianis’ post saying they had heard Elvis Rodriguez would challenge Matias instead of Paro.
The official fight confirmation, including date and venue, is expected to be made by Matchroom Boxing shortly.