Michel Soro vs George Liddard IBO World Middleweight

Liddard (15-0, 9 KOs) faces his most seasoned opponent yet after working his way through the British, Commonwealth and European ranks. The 24-year-old stopped Dario Morello in eight rounds in August, five months after outpointing Tyler Denny in March.

Those wins pushed Liddard beyond the domestic and European level, and Soro is a real test of whether that momentum holds up against a fighter who has shared the ring with better opposition.

The France-based Soro claimed the IBO title in June, stopping Hassan Mwakinyo in the ninth round in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He has also faced Brian Castaño and Israil Madrimov, giving him a clear edge in experience over the unbeaten challenger.

Matchroom is billing the fight as Liddard’s first world title shot. But the IBO is not one of the four major sanctioning bodies, so a win over Soro would move Liddard closer to the top of the middleweight division rather than confirm he has arrived there.