LONDON — George Liddard had to work hard to retain his British and Commonwealth titles, although it didn't look like that would be the case two rounds into his middleweight main event against Tyler Denny on Saturday evening at the Copper Box Arena.

Liddard (14-0, 8 KOs) had the former European champion off balance on multiple occasions in the opening six minutes of their domestic title clash. It looked like an early finish was in the cards, but a resilient Denny (21-4-3, 1 KO) clinched, wrestled and gritted his way through the first few frames.

Denny began to enjoy his own success starting in Round 3. The West Midlands man got the better of some exchanges at close quarters, as Liddard left himself defensively open. Liddard's inability at times to box behind his jab and create distance resulted in the bout being tougher than it perhaps had to be. 

By the end of Round 5, the contest seemed destined to be every bit as tough as boxing fans were expecting beforehand. 

Denny frustrated Liddard — and the 5,000-strong crowd at the Copper Box— with his consistent holding, although referee Bob Williams didn't do anything to deter him. 

Denny was hurt in Round 8 by a body shot from Liddard. Denny noticeably winced from pain and retreated onto the ropes before finding respite in a clinch.

The pair traded bombs in a Round of the Year contender in the penultimate session. Both men were caught with power punches, but the bigger and stronger Liddard landed with more authority. 

At the conclusion of 12 hard-fought rounds, Liddard was awarded a unanimous decision win, with all three judges handing in 116-112 scorecards.

Although Liddard impressed in his stellar performance against Kieron Conway this past October to capture the belts, Saturday's fight was a bit of a reality check.

"He brought more than I expected, but I’m grateful for that,” Liddard said after his win. “[He] took me 12 rounds. I’ve never been 12 rounds before. I’m on a journey to the top. We didn’t get the KO, but that’s OK.

"There was a lot to learn. I’m 23 years old, it’s back to the drawing board. I’m testing myself on the world stage, who else is doing that?"

In the night's co-feature, Giorgio Visioli (11-0, 6 KOs) dominated Levi Giles (17-3-1, 4 KOs) to retain his English lightweight title by unanimous decision (99-90, 100-89, 99-90).

Visioli dropped Giles in Round 5 with a combination and looked to be on the verge of a stoppage, but Giles ultimately weathered the storm and saw out the round. Visioli made a few other attempts to back Giles up, let his hands go and force the stoppage, but they were not sustained and did not pay off.

The contest was very one-sided. Giles could not close the gap on the talented Visioli and missed with many of his punches. Visioli walked Giles onto some sharp counters, dominated behind his southpaw jab and dug downstairs in the second half. Giles was no match for Visioli, who will surely be targeting the British title later in 2026.

Visioli has surged in popularity in recent months due to sparring stories that claim Visioli beat up the hyped U.S. prospect, Curmel Moton. The rumors have led to face-offs and an online war of words, however predictably no fight has materialized. 

Elsewhere in the evening, Jimmy Sains (12-0, 10 KOs) was fortunate to walk away with his English middleweight title and unbeaten record intact after being pushed to the limit by Derrick Osaze (13-4, 3 KOs).

Sains escaped with a close majority decision (95-95, 96-94, 97-93) after 10 tight rounds in his first title defense. Osaze's strength and physical presence posed many problems for the young "Sainsy;" Sains was backed up and outfought at close quarters with regularity in their 10-round contest. Sains seemed unfamiliar with someone pushing him onto the ropes, and also struggled with the strength of Osaze.

Sains did manage to walk Osaze onto some heavy shots on multiple occasions. The most telling of which came in Rounds 3 and 6, as Osaze was wobbled courtesy of right hands from the champion. Sains had his moments, but looked uncomfortable and outworked enough for many to assume he may be leaving the Copper Box without his English belt. Yet at the end of the contest, two judges decided Sains had done enough to earn the nod, while a third couldn't split them.

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In the DAZN opener, Leli Buttigieg (12-0, 4 KOs) knocked out Jake Goodwin (8-3-1, 1 KO) in Round 9 of their English middleweight title eliminator.

Buttigieg was behind on the scorecards — by two points on two cards and six points on judge Bob Williams' card — at the time that he produced a single right hand, which devastatingly crushed Goodwin onto the canvas. Goodwin did rise to his feet before the end of the 10-second count, however he was in no state to continue and thus the referee stopped the bout.

Although Buttigieg got off to a positive start on the back foot with his jab and movement, it wasn't long until Goodwin managed to break the distance and pour the pressure on Buttigieg. Buttigieg struggled to navigate the contest back to long range, and was forced to stand toe-to-toe with Goodwin and trade with him. Goodwin invested much of his artillery into Buttigieg's body area, while the Newham prospect landed some heavy headshots in the mid-rounds.

To add insult to injury, just when Goodwin looked to be coming on top, he was assisted with two crucial point deductions. Buttigieg's mouthpiece dislodged for the third time in the contest in Round 6, which forced referee Lee Every to take away a point. After a couple of more dislodgements in Round 7, Every docked another point from Buttigieg's score in Round 7, meaning that Buttigieg was almost certainly behind on the scorecards.

Buttigieg knew that he needed a stoppage, but with just three knockouts in 11 victories before today, it appeared to be an unlikely outcome. Buttigieg, however, bit down on his mouthpiece — for a change — and began to push Goodwin backward. The pair were embroiled in an exchange in Round 9 when Buttigieg found the punch of his career to turn things around and ultimately retain his unbeaten record.

Main card

Middleweight: George Liddard def. Tyler Denny via unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 116-112)

Lightweight: Giorgio Visioli def. Levi Giles via unanimous decision (99-90, 100-89, 99-90)

Middleweight: Jimmy Sains def. Derrick Osaze via majority decision (95-95, 96-94, 97-93)

Middleweight: Leli Buttigieg def. Jake Goodwin via ninth-round KO | Watch video

Prelims

Featherweight: Connor Mitchell def. Yuri Zanoli via points (40-36)

Featherweight: Adam Maca def. Lydon Chircop via fourth-round TKO | Watch video

Super middleweight: Taylor Bevan def. Martin Ezequiel Bulacio via second-round TKO | Watch video

Super featherweight: Louie Ward def. Jahfieus Faure via points (40-36)