George Liddard on embracing the pressure of headlining

George Liddard will top a Matcroom bill for the first time on Friday when he takes on tough customer Derrick Osaze at London’s Indigo at the O2.

Liddard, still only 22, has made a fast start to life as a professional under the guidance of trainer Tony Sims. The Bilerickey local has competed in 10 contests since his debut two years ago, winning them all and scoring six knockouts. Those knockouts, in particular his fifth-round finish of George Davey, have made Liddard a must-watch attraction, so much so that he has been given the opportunity to headline this Friday’s show.

Liddard, though, is not fazed by the pressures and responsibilities of topping the bill. The young middleweight has taken it all in his stride and is ready to put on another big performance this Friday.

“I was born for this,” Liddard told BoxingScene. “I was born for the bright lights and the big nights, I love it. I love every part of it: the walkout, the fight, the after. I love fight night. You feel like a gladiator going out there when you’ve got the whole crowd cheering, and my crowd makes a noise. I just like putting on a big night for everyone. It’s everything I graft for.

“You know what they say, pressure makes diamonds, right?” he continued. “I embrace the pressure. I don’t really feel the pressure too much. Obviously, at the end of the day, a fight is a fight, whether you’re at the top of the bill or the bottom of the bill. I treat every fight like it’s my title fight. I’ve gone about things no differently. I’ve prepared in the exact same manner. I try to train harder every camp regardless of what the fight is for. So, yeah, as I say, probably my hardest graft camp to date, so there’s no pressure, there is no pressure on my end. I’ve done all the hard work. Now’s the fun part.

“I mean, look, every time you put on a big performance, there’s the pressure to do the same again, but I feel like I’ve handled it well. Obviously, after the George Davey one, I think everyone was expecting a good performance again and I stepped up, boxed a 29-2 lad. I went in there with the impression that this guy could take me the distance, but I know that with my talent at any time I can change the fight. And I’ve got the power to end it, which is what I did, nice and early.

“I don’t go in there looking for the knockout. Listen, I want to perform well and I’m sure everyone wants to see a knockout, but at the end of the day all that matters in five years’ time when people look back is they see a W next to my name, right? If I keep winning and keep pushing on, that’s all that matters. But listen, the way I train, I can’t be surprised if I put on a spiteful performance and score a lovely, lovely knockout.”

Liddard has been matched hard in his short professional career, increasingly facing tougher opposition. Friday’s opponent, on paper, represents his biggest challenge to date. Osaze, 13-2 (3 KOs), has mixed it with the top domestic operators in the middleweight division, losing only to world title challenger Denzel Bentley and former British champion Tyler Denny.

“I want to keep stepping up each fight,” Liddard said. “If you look at the records I’ve been fighting, I’ve stepped up pretty much every fight and always handled the business, so I’m looking forward to winning Friday night and getting the job done. I’ve got a good test in front of me, but I have no doubt that I’m going to put on my best performance yet and push on to even bigger things.”