UNBEATEN prospect George Liddard has mapped out a calculated plan to become the youngest British middleweight champion of all time.
While enjoying a blistering start to his professional career, the tenacious 22-year-old’s lofty ambitions show no signs of relenting, either.
Somewhere down the line, the Essex man hopes to become an undisputed champion, firmly believing that the feat is by no means beyond his reach.
At this moment in time, though, his eyes remain fixed on a more modest Lonsdale Belt, as with a British title eliminator waiting just around the corner, it is only a matter of time before he earns his coveted shot.
Some might say that, at this early stage in his career, it is a stretch too far. But for Liddard, 11-0 (6 KOs), the opportunity to prove himself at domestic level cannot come soon enough.
“Mindset is a massive part of my game,” he told Boxing News. “It’s all well and good being physically strong, but your body can only do what your mind allows it to do.
“I fear no challenges. What’ve I got to lose? I’ve got everything to gain.
“I believe I’ll be the youngest British middleweight champion ever. If you look in the last 20 years, the youngest was Nick Blackwell at 25 [years old].
“To win the British and Commonwealth titles this year, I’ll be 23 years old. So I see this as my opportunity to achieve what I’ve wanted since I was nine or ten years old.”
Liddard must first get past Aaron Sutton – a sturdy domestic operator – on May 17, before targeting a shot at the British title.
As it happens, Kieron Conway and Gerome Warburton will collide for the vacant middleweight trinket on the same show, with both matchups featuring on the undercard of Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen 2.
Conway, of course, is widely considered to be a sizable favourite when he squares off against ‘Bread Maker’ at the Copper Box Arena, London.
And yet, despite all of the 29-year-old’s experience, Liddard is seemingly drenched in confidence ahead of what could become a potential matchup later this year.
“100 percent, I’m more than ready [for Conway] now,” he insisted. “I’m excited for these big fights – this is what I’ve trained my whole life for.
“This is my time now – it’s my time to take over the domestic scene at 160lbs. There’s levels to this game. [Conway’s] a good fighter, but I believe that I’m a great fighter.”
Ahead of his next assignment, Liddard’s head coach, Tony Sims, has only recently returned to the UK after preparing Conor Benn for his clash with Chris Eubank Jr.
But still, ‘The Billericay Bomber’ has found himself in a safe pair of hands, with former world title challenger John Ryder taking care of proceedings in Sims’ absence.
“John’s picked up most of the training,” Liddard said. “The sessions I would normally do with Tony, I’ve been doing with John.
“But obviously, Tony hears about every session – we sent him a few videos [while he was in Majorca] for a bit of analysis.
“To have John as your assistant coach – an experienced man, who’s been in [the ring] with the likes of Canelo [Alvarez], [Jaime] Munguia and Callum Smith – is just amazing.
“Not just even just from a boxing point of view, but from an everyday life and training routine point of view, there’s a lot that John sees.
“Tony’s such an experienced coach and John’s such an experienced fighter – to have them both on my side is incredible.”
Not only does Liddard have Sims and Ryder steering the ship, but his mindset and breathwork coach, Greg Meehan, has also added a few strings to his bow.
“Recovery is just as important as the work,” Liddard highlighted. “If you don’t recover, you’ll grind your body into the floor and have nothing left come fight night.
“John developed such a good recovery structure throughout his career, so I’ve been learning from that, and putting some of it into my own game.
“Working with my mindset coach [Meehan] has also really changed the game for me.
“We’re fighters – we’ve all got to be a little bit crazy [to do what we do] – but it’s about learning how to stay relaxed while, at the same time, being ready to explode.
“That’s the best state you can be in come fight night, and working with Greg has really helped me develop that [mindset].”
Sure enough, Liddard appears to possess the right mindset, along with an almost infectious degree of self-belief, to become a British champion before long.
Against Conway, however, the fight would be far removed from an easy night’s work.
