George Liddard started 2025 as an ambitious prospect. He ended it as a champion and one of Britain’s brightest hopes.

In October, Liddard (13-0, 8 KOs) dominated the skilful, accomplished Keiron Conway and stopped him in the 10th round. The win earned the 23-year-old from Billericay the British and Commonwealth middleweight titles, but the way he did it put him at the forefront of the new wave of British boxing.

The sport in Britain finds itself at a delicate moment. Established, older names who filled arenas for the past decade are starting to fade away.

Fighters like Moses Itauma, Conor Benn and Ben Whittaker have emerged as the early leaders of a talented but unproven group who are striving to fill their shoes.

Some are undoubtedly gifted but are still some way from being able to carry a major event. Others remain unbeaten but have already had vulnerabilities and limitations exposed. Some have been found wanting.

Liddard didn’t come close to hitting his ceiling against Conway and the way he dealt with the entire event suggests he should be a fixture in meaningful, high profile nights for years to come.

“To be honest, I feel like I've been almost under-looked at times by the public, by the people in boxing, that I probably wasn't one of the front-runners for best prospect in Britain. Now I feel like I'm past that in a way,” Liddard told The Ring.

“I'm not really a prospect no more. I've turned myself from a prospect to probably a world-level contender overnight. So I think there's definitely the argument in terms of being a prospect in the world stage, that now I probably am the front-runner in British boxing.

“Obviously, you've got some other big names like Moses Itauma and Giorgio Visioli but I feel like after that big standout win, it's definitely put me at the front of the pack.”

Many tabbed the fight as a battle between Conway’s clever boxing and experience and Liddard’s aggression and power but the younger man showed he has much, much more to his game.

He boxed and moved. He led and counterpunched. He was organised and tidy inside and ramped up his output as the fight went on. He broke Conway mentally as well as physically.

The performance was not only a testament to the work Liddard has put in since he walked into the Matchroom Gym as a successful but undervalued amateur but also a nod to the way he has been matched and manoeuvred.

Liddard’s power has been a key feature of his style since he turned professional in November of 2022 but, over the past two years, he has been matched aggressively and cleverly and his 2025 campaign built to a crescendo.

Last January he proved his stamina and desire over the course of 10 hard rounds with the tough Derrick Osaze and followed that up but picking apart Aaron Sutton over five impressive rounds in a British title eliminator.

When the time came to prove his quality against Conway, Liddard didn’t have to keep his foot on the accelerator from the opening bell. He didn’t coast over the finish line on fumes. It was a controlled performance from somebody who clearly believed they were ready for their big moment.

“I think we got to see a kind of smart side to me that maybe we haven't got to see yet. I had a very smart approach,” he said.

“My tactics were perfect. Obviously, thanks to Tony [Sims, his trainer] for helping me with that but I think once you're in there, I just I felt like it was a very mature performance.

“I knew second half of the fight he was going to try and come on stronger, thinking that I'd burn out and I think when he realised that I was just starting to get going as well, it rattled him a little bit. There's a lot more to me to see and it's just going to take the right fighters to bring that out of me, I believe."

Given the massive gulf in experience between the two, Conway openly questioned where the charismatic Liddard was drawing his self-belief from during a series of pre-fight exchanges.

Sometimes, the subtlest changes in behaviour can portray how a boxer is truly feeling as fight night approaches but, from the moment the two came eye-to-eye during fight week, Liddard carried himself in the same confident manner.

Plenty of boxers enjoy training and the day-to-day lifestyle the sport offers them but begin to doubt themselves when the competition ramps up and the stakes get higher. Others love their time in the gym and enjoy fighting but find the heavy demands of modern media too much to deal with.

Liddard clearly enjoys everything about the business of boxing. He relishes the pre-fight tension and anticipation that others dread and bounces to the ring with a smile on his face.

“Outside of fight week - outside of boxing - I’m a very calm person. I don't look for confrontation and I go about my life. I spend time with family and I'm a family man and I get on well with everyone. I'm respectful to everyone I meet but something kind of switches on in me on fight week. The hunter in me comes out, it's like there's a man in my way and this is business and I've got to get it done,” he said.

“I know that that man is standing between me and my dreams so I think that brings out this more aggressive side. It’s almost like a calm aggression though. I’m not amped up, I'm not wasting energy. I'm just confident and I know what I'm going to do.

“I do really enjoy it to be honest. I like the whole ‘Art of War’. That staring down, that face-to-face, looking in a man's eyes before I fight him.

“I like to look in their eyes when they're speaking and saying what they think they're going to do, because I feel like you can always tell that whether a man's telling the truth in his eyes. Whether he truly believes that he's going to do what he says he is and I feel like you can spot weaknesses there. But all that matters, I guess, is the fight.”

The British and Commonwealth titles will provide Liddard with security and activity and he can continue to learn and grow whilst he defends his belts, safe in the knowledge that the world middleweight scene is wide open.

He certainly isn’t going to relax or rest on his laurels, however. Should a chance to jump up a level present itself, Liddard has proven that he has the temperament to handle it.

“I want to continue causing a bit of trouble in the division,” he said.

“I had the ring walk song, ‘Bad Boys’ mixed in with ‘Trouble’ by Austin Butler from the Elvis film. I felt like it was very suiting. I feel like I’m the new lad on the block coming causing a bit of trouble and I guess now I have them titles, people think that's going to change, but I'm still here. I’m not the hunted, I'm always the hunter. I’m always here to cause a bit of trouble in the division and stir up some big fights, hopefully.”