All three judges scored the fight 116-112 for Liddard, who improved to 14-0 and extended the distance in a demanding fight against the experienced challenger.
“George had to prove his toughness there. It will stand him in great stead going forward,” said promoter Eddie Hearn about Liddard.
It’s unclear if Hearn was pleased with the performance from his fighter, Liddard. Winning by the scores 116-112, 116-112, and 116-112 made it a clear victory, but it wasn’t the white-wash victory some had thought it would be.
Liddard made a quick start, landing clean shots in the opening round, including a right hand that caught Denny early. He kept his work rate steady in the early rounds, landing in combination and setting the pace.
Denny settled after the early rounds and worked at close range with higher activity. Several rounds were close on the scorecards, with both fighters landing in short stretches.
Both fighters landed clean shots during the middle rounds, with Liddard continuing to find success with straighter punches while Denny relied on volume and physical work at short distance.
Liddard closed the fight with steady work in the later rounds, maintaining his output and landing the cleaner punches in enough moments to secure the decision on all three scorecards.
George (14-0, 8 KOs) completes another title defense and adds a regional belt, with the fight serving as a full-distance test against an opponent with experience at the domestic and European level.
Denny (21-4-3, 1 KO) has nothing to offer in power, so he was just coming forward, throwing shots with nothing on them. What was interesting was how Liddard couldn’t do much with this kind of opponent, because he should have been able to blow him out.
Tyler forced Liddard to work hard for his victory tonight. Despite the wide scores, it wasn’t as easy as fight as the judges had it.
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