LONDON – George Liddard defeated Kieron Conway to lift the British middleweight championship at the York Hall in London, England.
The 23-year-old Liddard was clearly confident heading into the contest, taunting Conway and claiming that he would do what Austin Williams and Souleymane Cissokho had not managed to in stopping him. Conway, 29, was always adamant that it was a step too far for the youngster, but Liddard put on a mightily-impressive performance to halt Conway after 49 seconds of the 10th round.
The majority of the York Hall crowd were in attendance to support the challenger Liddard, who is now 13-0 (8 KOs), and they seemed to roar with every shot he landed in the opener. The pick of the bunch was a sharp jab that knocked the head back of Conway. The champion, however, never panicked and took the punches well. Liddard again had the better of the second, piercing Conway’s high guard before landing a right hand to the midsection. Conway was given some hope as the round came to a close, scoring with a solid and flush left hook. Liddard took it well, but had a sheepish look as he returned to his corner – he certainly felt it.
Liddard’s jab continued to punish Conway in third. Conway just didn’t seem to have an answer, and he offered little in terms of head movement. Although Liddard was having the better of nearly every exchange, there was a feeling that Conway was patiently waiting for the youngster to slow down before he came back into it. That is what happened in the fourth and there wasn’t the same snap on Liddard’s jab. Conway was able to entice LIddard into a tear up and they traded heavy blows in the center of the ring, but it was Conway who seemed to carry the heavier hands. The round ended with a thudding left from Conway that seemed to stun Liddard at the bell.
The fifth was again lively, but Liddard appeared to get the better of the exchanges. Liddard just had more snap on his shots and was able to beat Conway to the punch. There was damage to Conway’s right eye as he came out for the sixth, and it worsened as the round went on. Liddard poked at Conway’s face with his jab and planted body shots with venom. Conway was wearing the shots but was not deterred and gamely swung away with Liddard as he came in to land. Although Liddard was dominant with his jab, he did not shy away from standing and trading. Both men in the seventh stood close and let their hands go, but Liddard’s punches were crisp and clean and although Conway still landed he couldn't slow Liddard down.
Liddard’s confidence continued to grow in the eighth, and Conway was getting sloppy. Liddard punished Conway for a lazy jab with a well-timed left hand and smiled at the crowd as he moved away from danger. Conway continued to land, but Liddard always had the last laugh. The round ended with a left hand from Conway landing flush on Liddard’s chin, but Liddard ate it and returned a right hand with another smile. It seemed to suck the life out of Conway, who had put everything into the shot.
Liddard made a dent in Conway in the ninth, as Conway backed away he landed a stiff jab upstairs and followed it up with a right hand that looked low. Conway instantly grabbed his crotch in pain, but the referee Mark Bates was having none of it. Liddard piled on the pressure, and Conway was forced to take a knee from the pain. Conway returned to his feet and fought through an onslaught, but things got worse in the tenth. Liddard charged forwards and clipped Conway with a right hand that saw him stumble to the corner. Conway was dazed and Liddard continued to beat him. As Conway again stumbled into the corner, his corner flung in the towel. Although Conway disagreed with their decision, he accepted that it marked the end and returned to his stool. Liddard leapt onto the ropes and was met by a roar from the York Hall crowd. Liddard had done what no man before him had before and stopped Conway, who is now 23-4-1 (7 KOs). And Liddard, trained by Tony Sims, did it in style, too.
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Ryan, 28, was on the front foot from the off, throwing in a stiff jab to Watson’s chest. There was a big size difference, with the solid Ryan taking the center ring as Watson, 25, looked for openings from the outside. Ryan landed the first meaningful punch of the fight midway through the second. A hard right hand stunned Watson momentarily, but she then sprung into life and fired back a right of her own.
Ryan landed a left hook early into the third that seemed to rock Watson to her boots. Then, as Watson retreated, it became clear the shot had caused damage to her left eye. The swelling continued to grow as the round went on and by the bell it had nearly swollen shut. The ringside doctor allowed the action to continue, and Watson came out for the fourth knowing she was on borrowed time.
Watson continued to come forwards but was shipping punishment and the damage to the eye continued to worsen. As Watson returned to her corner at the conclusion of the fourth, her eye was now swollen shut. The doctor, rightfully so, deemed her not fit to continue and the referee Reece Carter called a halt to the action. Although it seemed as though the shot was caused by a punch, the fight headed to the scorecards, where Ryan was awarded the win via 40-36 on all three of the judges cards. Watson falls to 8-2 with the defeat.
