George Liddard and Derrick Osaze square off atop Matchroom Boxing’s NXTGEN card on January 31 at Indigo at The O2 in London, England. At the pre-fight press conference, the fighters previewed their all-British middleweight bout and went face-to-face.
Unbeaten George Liddard (10-0, 6 KOs) won five fights in 2024, including a first-round TKO against Omar Nguale Ilunga in December and a fifth-round stoppage of George Davey on the Dixon vs Harper undercard last September. The 22-year-old native of Billericay, Essex said he was focused on being “the best version” of himself and promised a dominant performance.
“I’ve boxed on loads of your [Matchroom Boxing] shows. To now headline one, I’m very grateful. I’m excited,” George Liddard said at the pre-fight press conference. “The hard work is done and this is the fun part for me. I’m just looking forward to fight.”
“This is what I do. I never shy away from a test. Derrick is a good test – I’m ready to pass it.”
“My last six or five fights have all been a step up after step up. I think they’ve all come to flip the script. Someone is yet to do that.”
“I’ve treated every fight of mine like it is a title fight. Nothing changes for me. Nothing changes. I’m ready to do the business.”
“It doesn’t matter what Derrick turns up. He can come to fight, he can box – it doesn’t matter to me. I’m sure he’s going to come to fight. Whatever is in front of me I’ll beat. All I’ve focused on is being the best version of myself. That’s what I’ll show on Friday with another dominant performance.”
Derrick Osaze: I’m here to mess up the script
Derrick Osaze (13-2, 3 KOs) looks to bounce back from a defeat via second-round TKO against Denzel Bentley last August, which snapped his three-fight winning streak. The 31-year-old native of Peckham, London said he was not a “stepping stone”, and was confident he could pull off an upset.
“What do I know about George? He supports West Ham. That’s all I know, and he dresses like Eddie Hearn,” Derrick Osaze said. “As you can see, they’ve probably gone to the same designer. They look good. Eddie Hearn is a lot taller in person. In terms of George, he’s a good fighter.”
“You’re not going to be sitting in this seat and topping a Matchroom bill if you’re not a good fighter. As for the fight, Eddie is right when he says it’s a tough test.”
“If you know me, I’m not really into all this talking. I like to do my talking on Friday. It should be a very good fight.”
“I didn’t get into this sport to become some sort of gatekeeper, some sort of stepping stone or some sort of test. My career has not been the easiest or straightest road. I’ve never missed a fight through injury. I’ve never pulled out of fights, but I’ve had fights missed because of COVID tests, I’ve had a fight because of the Queen passing. I’ve had fights cancelled literally days before.”
“It’s not been straightforward, but at the same time, I refuse to become anyone’s stepping stone. They’ve brought me in here for a reason and I’m here to mess up the script.”
Among the bouts featured on the Liddard vs Osaze undercard, Junaid Bostan (10-0, 8 KOs) and Nigerian-born Bilal Fawaz (9-1, 3 KOs) battle it out for the vacant British super welterweight title. Giorgio Visioli (5-0, 4 KOs) of the UK faces Mexico’s Francisco Javier Lucero (16-6-4, 12 KOs) at super featherweight. Plus, London’s Emmanuel Buttigieg (6-0, 1 KOs) and James Todd (4-4-2) of Wales clash at middleweight.