Latest news with #GeorgeLiddard
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
George Liddard is the West Ham super-fan who went from windscreen fitter to Britain's next middleweight boxing hopeful
GEORGE LIDDARD is hoping to wipe out the middleweight competition having gone from windscreen fitter to boxing prospect. The West Ham super-fan was an elite amateur, winning four national titles and medals on the international stage. 4 4 4 But he snubbed the chance to earn a place on the Team GB Olympic squad to instead turn professional in 2022 under Eddie Hearn. It came after a brief absence from the ring as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, where Liddard worked for a windscreen fitting company. He told the Hammers website: "I was part of Team England, and then Covid-19 hit, and there was a lot of uncertainty in my life. "During that period, I ended up working with my dad at a windscreen company. "I got defeated by a well-known Great Britain fighter in a close fight after the pandemic, and that was the moment I said to myself to give it a go. "I got a text from Tony Sims, one of the legendary boxing trainers, asking me to spar with John Ryder. "So I went down there and gave a good account of myself. I've been at the Matchroom Gym ever since and have never looked back." Liddard is 11-0 and returns on Saturday night at the Copper Box on the undercard of Johnny Fisher's rematch with Dave Allen. The 22-year-old East Londoner faces Aaron Sutton but has his eyes on fighting for the British title and even world honours beyond that. He said: "I feel as if I'm at a level already where I can win a British title. "I know I'm good enough but have to prove it to the world, and the next fight is another opportunity to do that. "I'm in this game to be a world champion, and I want to win world titles down the line. I will be a world champion someday; I know that for sure. "I look forward to the day I stand there with a world title belt and say, I made it." Liddard dons the famous claret and blue when he steps into the ring and regularly sits in the Hammers stands outside the ropes. He said: "I couldn't pinpoint an exact moment when I started supporting West Ham, but I've followed the Club all of my life and attend home games now with my sponsor, ABSM Building Services. "I would have loved to have been at the Conference League final, but I was fighting on that Saturday. "I remember watching it in the hotel and being ecstatic when Jarrod [Bowen] scored that goal. "I was gutted to have not been there, but I won the fight, so it was a memorable weekend." 4
Irish Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Graham McCormack ready for war in Glasgow: 'I'm going to win no matter what'
Graham McCormack is aiming to record the biggest victory of his career as the G-Train rolls into Glasgow this weekend. At 38, the Limerick man knows he isn't getting any younger, but a win over Darren Johnstone (10-1) on Saturday night would see McCormack (10-4-1) claim the British Boxing Board of Control Celtic Super Middleweight title, which would open plenty of options for him going forward at this late stage of his career. After leaving for Dublin Airport from Limerick at 1am on Friday morning, the southpaw lost the last few pounds in his hotel room after touching down in Glasgow shortly after 7am to make weight ahead of the midday weigh-in. "I'm not getting any younger, but I feel great," McCormack said after Friday's weigh-in. "I feel absolutely brilliant in the gym. Mentally, I feel good. Physically, I feel good. I'm strong, I'm healthy. How long can we keep going for? I'm going to keep pushing the boundaries as much as I can." The Shaun Kelly-trained fighter knows he has a tough task ahead of him, but is confident his hand will be raised in victory as he vows to bring the belt back to Limerick. "I'm going to win here tomorrow night and open the door for some more opportunities," he added. "I know we have a tough task ahead of us, but we're fully focused on the job we have to do. "We have a lot of time to recover now and chill out and relax and get ready to go to war. "I'm going to win no matter what. I'm going for a knockout, if it's a points win, whatever, but I am coming home with that belt to Limerick City." Next weekend marks one year since McCormack was knocked out by English fighter George Liddard (now 11-0) in the first round of their bout on the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall rematch card in Leeds, with fellow Limerick man Paddy Donovan stopping Lewis Ritson on the same card, while Naas native Gary Cully recorded an unanimous decision win over Francesco Patera. After conversations with those closest to him after that defeat, McCormack decided to keep his career going and returned to winning ways with a knockout win over Craig McCarthy in December, knocking the Waterford man down three times on his way to a career best victory as he avenged his defeat to McCarthy from April 2023. "We had a lot of stuff going on outside of boxing last year," stated McCormack. "When I drew with the journeyman (Octavian Gratii), and when I lost to George Liddard, now Liddard is a great fighter, I'm not taking anything from him, but at that time, for me, I was not 100% in boxing. "Me and my wife and family, we had a lot of stuff going on outside of boxing and I just wasn't focused on boxing 100% that I needed to be. "After that loss, I sat down with my trainer and my team, and they said, 'do you want it anymore'? I said to myself, do I want it anymore? And I put in a hell of a camp for Craig McCarthy, got the knockout win, and I realised I do still want it. "Those whole few months I wasn't focused on boxing. Shaun will tell you that. "I'm never going to be a ripped, lean, six-pack fighter, but even if you looked at me, I wasn't training properly. Whereas now, I'm in good condition. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I know I put in the work. Whereas last year, I wasn't putting in the work." And the hard work has been rewarded, with McCormack knowing fine well how big an opportunity he has in Glasgow on Saturday night. "I don't think people realise it's a ranking title. It gives you a ranking around Europe so it's a huge opportunity," said McCormack. "We approached this camp with that in mind, that it was a huge opportunity and that we had to win this fight. "These last 10 weeks have been absolutely gruelling, but good and I've done everything I needed to do. Ticked all the boxes. I'm ready to rock now." On his opponent, who is 12 years younger than him, McCormack added: "He's tall. That's about it. I don't make anything of him. I haven't looked too much into him. My trainer has. I'm focused on me and my job and what I have to do to get the win. "He's a good fighter. I'm not going to bury my head in the sand. He's a good fighter. He's 10-1. He's a champion, but I'm a better fighter."
