"The Monaco Job": George Liddard Gets His First World Title Shot Against Michel Soro, Dec. 12 in Monte-Carlo

Matchroom isn't taking the weekend after Fury-Joshua off.

One night after Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally get it on in Cardiff, Eddie Hearn heads to the Riviera. George Liddard will challenge Michel Soro for the IBO middleweight title on Saturday, Dec. 12 at the Salle des Étoiles at Sporting Monte-Carlo, live on DAZN. Matchroom made it official Friday morning, with a poster and a full release.

For Liddard, this is the first crack at a world title. The 24-year-old from Essex is 15-0 with 9 KOs, trained by Tony Sims, and he's been checking boxes fast. He stopped Kieron Conway in the 10th for the British and Commonwealth titles in October 2025, outpointed Tyler Denny in March and then stopped Dario Morello in the eighth for the vacant European title in August. The Ring already has him in its top 10. That's a real résumé for a kid his age.

From boxbid.ioGuess the PurseHow much did they get paid? The closest guess wins free points. Guess

He's calling this one "The Monaco Job," and he isn't being shy about it. "I'm coming back home to Britain with the win and that IBO strap," Liddard said in the Matchroom release.

Here's the thing, though. Soro isn't a guy you just walk through.

The Frenchman, born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has been a pro for more than 17 years. He fought Brian Castaño for the interim WBA 154-pound title back in 2017 and shared the ring twice with Israil Madrimov in 2021 and 2022. In June he went back to Abidjan and stopped Hassan Mwakinyo in the ninth to win this IBO belt. Hearn himself called him "a very tough Michel Soro," and for once that's not just promoter talk. Veterans like Soro are exactly where young unbeaten fighters find out what they've got.

Yes, it's the IBO, not one of the big four. But a win over a seasoned champion on the road, in a room like that, is the type of step that gets a contender ranked by the sanctioning bodies that matter.

The undercard has some meat on it too:

From boxbid.ioPlay Fantasy Boxing, freePick every fight on the card. Win points and the weekly Ringside badge. Play

• Josh Padley vs. Moussa Gholam for the WBA interim super featherweight title. The former electrician from Yorkshire keeps climbing, and this is the biggest test of his run.
• Ishmael Davis vs. Junaid Bostan, an all-Yorkshire scrap that Hearn calls "a real humdinger."
• Heavyweight David Adeleye, who makes his Matchroom debut in Los Angeles on Nov. 14 and then turns right around for Monaco.
• 19-year-old heavyweight Leo Atang, who fights in Sheffield on Oct. 24 first. Monte-Carlo will be his third fight abroad.

It's a busy Dec. 12 for Matchroom. That same night, Dmitry Bivol is scheduled to face Callum Smith in Yekaterinburg (we broke that one down here). And all of it comes 24 hours after Fury-Joshua, which is now a WBA title fight too. If you're a fight fan, you may not sleep that weekend.

Matchroom says the hotel-and-ticket packages are already sold out, and the last single tickets are going for £200 and £400. Fight week details are still to come.

So who takes it: the young British star with all the momentum, or the veteran champion who's seen everything? Make your pick and guess the rounds on Boxbid for free points.

Sources:

• Matchroom Boxing: George Liddard challenges Michel Soro for World Title
• Matchroom Boxing event page: Monte-Carlo Showdown VII
• Matchroom Boxing on X (card announcement and poster)