Following a punishing 12 rounds of championship boxing, fighters will usually enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation. After the brutality of combat, usually comes luxury.
Perhaps it’s a five-star, all-inclusive holiday with the kids, getting away from it all. For those who’ve boiled down to make weight, there’ll almost certainly be gastronomic indulgence. Ricky Hatton used to take all of his mates down to his local pub in garish Hawaiian threads for his traditional ‘s*** shirt’ competition the day after the night before.
After his tough, competitive and deserved 12-rounder against Tyler Denny at the Copper Box on Saturday night, British and Commonwealth middleweight champion George Liddard was not dressed for the pub, nor did he have a belly full of treats. He wound down from a successful first defence of the belts by cranking himself up for a half-marathon.
The Matchroom Brentwood Half Marathon was staged by Liddard’s promoters and the 23-year-old, who featured in The Sporting News’ 25 under 25 countdown in 2025, posed with tracksuited Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn after posting a time of just over two and a half hours, sporting sunglasses to cover his swollen eyes.
“Matchroom are sponsoring it, so I feel like I’ve got to show my face,” Liddard said, speaking to the Sporting News about his eyebrow-raising Sunday plans prior to the Denny bout. “I’m a bit of a madman for agreeing to it. Maybe I’ll have to ask Eddie for a few more quid.”
In reality, Liddard ran to raise money for two close friends and their son, who are currently stuck in Austria after the youngster suffered a serious injury while on holiday.
It’s an act of inspiring selflessness that we see frequently from boxing’s stars of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Liddard is certainly primed to belong in the latter category. A boisterous, full-throated crowd roared him through some tough moments against Denny and, although he has time on his side, the ‘Billericay Bomber’ wants to get to the top of the sport at an express pace at odds with his amateur long-distance running.
Matchroom Boxing
“You know, I think within the next 18 months, I should get my shot if I keep putting on the performances that I’ve been putting on,” he says of what looks like a wide-open 160-pound division.
“I want to be an undisputed world champion, that’s the goal for me and I’m gonna do everything I can to make that happen.Â
“I think there’s a gap in boxing at middleweight right now and I feel like I’m the man to take the reins and bring some big, big nights back to the middleweight division.”
Liddard describes the four major alphabet belts as “the ultimate” for him, a nod towards tradition that sits awkwardly alongside his most high-profile stablemate at trainer Tony Sims’ thriving gym.
Does Conor Benn train with George Liddard?
Conor Benn’s exit from Matchroom to take up a lucrative offer from Dana White’s fledgling Zuffa Boxing outfit rocked the boxing world last month.
Hearn has been outspoken over the manner of Benn’s departure after he backed the fighter through two and a half years of legal and financial woes that stemmed from two failed drug tests in the build-up to his originally scheduled clash with Chris Eubank Jr. in October 2022.
White has pledged to tear up the existing boxing landscape, showing scant regard for the established championship belts, and award its own Zuffa title. This instantly looked messy in practice when the IBF refused to sanction the bout between its champion Jai Opetaia — another ex-Matchroom man — and Brandon Glanton earlier this month.
Liddard remains focused on the traditional route, and this old-school approach extends to his relationship behind the scenes with Benn. Two ambitious fighting men are not about to spend their time in the gym talking about boxing politics.
“Conor’s a stablemate of mine, so I’ll obviously always talk to him. To be honest, we kind of leave business aside when we’re in the gym,” Liddard added.
“We get our job done and, you know, Tony never really speaks about anything to anyone when it comes to other fighters’ business. I haven’t really discussed it much.”
The same can’t be said of Hearn, who has been on the YouTube channels carousel discussing and responding to the fallout. He will no doubt take solace in having the uncomplicated, talented and laser-focused Liddard in his ranks; a fighter ready go the extra mile… or thirteen.