GEORGE LIDDARD is hoping to wipe out the middleweight competition having gone from windscreen fitter to boxing prospect.
The super-fan was an elite amateur, winning four national titles and medals on the international stage.
But he snubbed the chance to earn a place on the Team GB Olympic squad to instead turn professional in 2022 under .
It came after a brief absence from the ring as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, where Liddard worked for a windscreen fitting company.
He told the Hammers website: “I was part of Team England, and then Covid-19 hit, and there was a lot of uncertainty in my life.
“During that period, I ended up working with my dad at a windscreen company.
“I got defeated by a well-known Great Britain fighter in a close fight after the pandemic, and that was the moment I said to myself to give it a go.
“I got a text from Tony Sims, one of the legendary boxing trainers, asking me to spar with John Ryder.
“So I went down there and gave a good account of myself. I’ve been at the Matchroom Gym ever since and have never looked back.”;;
Liddard is 11-0 and returns on Saturday night at the Copper Box on the undercard of
The 22-year-old East Londoner faces Aaron Sutton but has his eyes on fighting for the British title and even world honours beyond that.
He said: “I feel as if I’m at a level already where I can win a British title.
“I know I’m good enough but have to prove it to the world, and the next fight is another opportunity to do that.
“I’m in this game to be a world champion, and I want to win world titles down the line. I will be a world champion someday; I know that for sure.
“I look forward to the day I stand there with a world title belt and say, I made it.”;;
Liddard dons the famous claret and blue when he steps into the ring and regularly sits in the Hammers stands outside the ropes.
He said: “I couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when I started supporting West Ham, but I’ve followed the Club all of my life and attend home games now with my sponsor, ABSM Building Services.
“I would have loved to have been at the Conference League final, but I was fighting on that Saturday.
“I remember watching it in the hotel and being ecstatic when Jarrod [Bowen] scored that goal.
“I was gutted to have not been there, but I won the fight, so it was a memorable weekend.”;;
