George Liddard defeated Derrick Osaze in a highly entertaining bout at London’s Indigo at the O2 on Friday.
Liddard, now 11-0 (6 KOs) was taking on his toughest test yet in Osaze (13-3, 3 KOs) – a man who had only been defeated by former British champions Denzel Bentley and Tyler Denny. Liddard was pushed all the way by Osaze and took a narrow but well earned points victory. The scorecards read 97-93 and 96-94 twice to the 22 year old from Billericay.
Liddard came out for the first on the front foot, holding his feet and digging in hard shots to the body. Osaze, aged 31, took the shots well and was able to use his movement to avoid much of what followed, landing shots of his own before the end of the session.
Liddard found himself caught flat footed in the second and Osaze was able to use his speed and movement to outscore the young prospect. Both men elected to stand and trade in the third and it played into Liddard’s hands. It was clear that Liddard carried the greater power of the two but Osaze landed shots of his own during the exchanges.
Liddard landed a hard right hand early in the fourth and wobbled the oncoming Osaze. The experienced Osaze covered up and composed himself before returning fire but it was Liddard who took the round. Liddard, now bouncing on his toes, had started to land with much more success than in the earlier sessions. Osaze struggled to deal with Liddard in the fifth, as the youngster pushed the pace and forced Osaze to tuck up.
Both men were fighting at a fierce pace in the sixth but Osaze’s punches seemed to bounce off of Liddard, whilst his own would thud against Osaze. However, this didn’t deter Osaze as he sat in the pocket with Liddard and pushed the youngster until the bell. Osaze had one of his best rounds in the seventh; he used his movement to offset Liddard and landed several combinations to outwork the younger man.
Liddard took in a deep breath as he left his stool for the eighth round, and Osaze sensed that he was feeling the pace. The experienced Osaze piled on the pressure, landing several right uppercuts but Liddard dug in deep and returned fire. Osaze continued pressing the tiring Liddard and was having the better of the action until he was caught cleanly by a right hand as he was swinging in another hook. Osaze took it well and finished the round strongly.
Both men were visibly feeling the pace of the action heading into the tenth and final round. Liddard’s corner pleaded with him to box to victory but he again traded with Osaze with the pair swinging at each other until the final bell.
Both men embraced after a terrific contest and awaited the judges’ decision. Liddard was awarded the victory in a closely fought contest and will be thanking Osaze for the invaluable rounds in years to come.
Read the full article here
