George Liddard world title fight against Michel Soro set

George Liddard will challenge Michel Soro for the IBO World Middleweight title at the Salle des Étoiles, Sporting Monte-Carlo, on Saturday 12 December Matchroom Boxing announced. The evening after the early morning ring walk of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in Cardiff the glitz and glamour of boxing heads to Monte Carlo with the rich and famous.

This will be his first shot at a world title and the fight will be live and exclusive on DAZN.

The Monte Carlo card Matchroom Boxing produce each year is always great. The card is promoted by Eddie Hearn in partnership with Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer.

Eddie Hearn & George Liddard Target World Titles

Liddard is unbeaten in 15 fights with nine knockouts and is ranked in the top 10 by The Ring. He is trained a Essex lad who trains locally in Brentwood with Tony Sims. In August he won the vacant European Middleweight title with an eighth-round stoppage of Dario Morello.

That followed his British and Commonwealth titles, stopping Kieron Conway in the tenth round. Before he went on to retain them on points against Tyler Denny in March 2025.

“These are the fights I have looked forward to throughout my career,” Liddard said. “I am putting everything on the line in such a prestigious place. This is ‘The Monaco Job’, and I’m coming back home to Britain with the win and that IBO strap.”

Michel Soro and the IBO Middleweight Title

Soro, born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and raised in France, has more than 17 years of professional experience. He has fought at super welterweight and middleweight. In 2017 he challenged Brian Castaño for the interim WBA Super Welterweight title, and he faced Israil Madrimov in 2021 and 2022.

In June, Soro won the IBO World Middleweight title in Abidjan by stopping Hassan Mwakinyo in the ninth round.

Eddie Hearn described Soro as “a very tough” opponent. “Now George Liddard has a golden opportunity to etch his name into history when he takes on a very tough Michel Soro for the IBO crown,” he said.

Undercard for the Monte-Carlo card

Britain’s Josh Padley fights Spain’s Moussa Gholam for the WBA Interim World Super Featherweight title. Padley is a former electrician from Yorkshire.

Heavyweight David Adeleye returns after his Matchroom Boxing debut in Los Angeles on 14 November. Leo Atang, 19, also features. He fights in Sheffield on Saturday 24 October before travelling to Monaco for what will be his third international appearance. He has boxed in Ghana last December and in the United States in July, where he stopped Glen Williams in the second round.

The bill also includes an all-Yorkshire contest between Ishmael Davis and Junaid Boston. Hearn called the card one of the most exciting of the year. “This fight night is always one of the highlights on our calendar, and this brilliant card certainly doesn’t disappoint,” he said.