GEORGE Liddard produced a strong performance to survive an enthralling 10-round battle with Derrick Osaze, claiming the vacant Commonwealth silver middleweight title.
The pair locked horns for a highly competitive dustup at the O2 Indigo, London, headlining Matchroom Boxing’s first ‘NextGen’ show of 2025.
A closely contested opening round saw Osaze, 13-2 (3 KOs), target the body of Liddard, 11-0 (6 KOs), who was able to evade much of his opponent’s attacks at long range.
Again, there was very little to separate both combatants in the second round, with Liddard finding a delectable angle to land his right uppercut while Osaze continued to work away at his body.
‘DelBoy,’ however, soon began to get reckless with his looping hooks, presenting his more defensively responsible opponent with the opportunity to dip under and counter.
The jab of Liddard then began to find a home in the fourth round, with the 22-year-old keeping Osaze at bay before stepping into the pocket to land a series of sharp flurries.
None of his shots were having much of an effect on the 31-year-old, though, as every time Liddard enjoyed a spell of success, his opponent just kept coming back with several combinations of his own.
A more measured approach to the sixth round then saw ‘The Billericay Bomber’ restore a degree of control, while his opponent – remaining just as sharp as he was from the very beginning – maintained his high punch output.
Then, following a sequence of fierce exchanges to the body, Liddard began to utilise his head movement a little more, knowing that the toughest test of his career was far from over.
Osaze, meanwhile, had started to elevate his creativity on the front foot, landing several unanswered hooks and uppercuts to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm.
In the end, the pair went toe-to-toe in another fiercely contested round before Liddard was announced as the winner, with the judges scoring it 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94 in his favour.
