On January 13th, the IBF ordered welterweight champion Lewis Crocker to begin negotiations with and former IBF junior welterweight champion Liam Paro for a mandatory defense of the IBF Welterweight title. On January 19th, the IBF received notification from Matt Rose, representing Paro, that they would like to proceed to a purse bid pursuant to IBF Rule 10.A. Therefore, the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for February 3rd. Crocker (22-0) is from Northern Ireland and spent his 2025 campaign defeating Paddy Donovan twice, once by disqualification and once by split decision.  Paro (27-1) became a 140-pound title holder in 2024, defeating Subriel Matias but prompty turning over the belt to Richardson Hitchins in his first defense. Paro moved up to welterweight and picked up two wins in 2025.