There's boxing action in the UK and America this weekend and our Chris Oliver previews the pick of the fights.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday August 22
1pt George Liddard to win in rounds 1-6 7/2 (William Hill)
2pts Teofimo Lopez to win by unanimous decision (Ladbrokes)
The big action is in America this Saturday night but one of Britain’s best prospects is in action on home soil first.
George Liddard bids to add the vacant European middleweight title to his British and Commonwealth belts when he faces Dario Morello at the Copper Box in East London.
Liddard has earned plenty of plaudits on his way to compiling a perfect 14-fight record, with eight of those wins coming early, and big things are expected of the man from Billericay.
He became the youngest winner of the British middleweight title when stopping Kieron Conway in the 10th round with a brilliant display last October, before registering a unanimous decision victory over Tyler Denny in a big test last time out.
Liddard was made to work hard after hurting Denny in the first and second rounds, but that was a good win against a very capable veteran, and the 24-year-old deserves plenty of credit for that victory at his age.
In theory, he should be facing his toughest test to date when he challenges for the prestigious European belt, but Morello would probably be an underdog against both Conway and Denny.
The Italian brings a 26-1 record to the table, and his only loss was a decision defeat to Britain’s Luther Clay back in 2019, so he looks a good opponent on paper.
However, his record doesn’t stand up to closer inspection, having never fought outside of his native country and much of his career has been against moderate opposition.
He only squeezed past Yassin Hermi (15-2-1) and Faton Vukshinaj (17-1-2) with points victories in his last two outings and he has a lot more on his plate as he travels to the UK for the hardest assignment of his career. Hence why the visitor is as big as 17/2 and Liddard is a best price of 1/8.
Morello is quite fleshy and doesn’t always look the part, while his hands and feet aren’t the quickest and Liddard should enjoy a big speed advantage here.
The favourite is aggressive, relentless and has a high output, while putting his shots together very well. He is especially dangerous to the body and should have no problem facing a southpaw again after beating one in the shape of Denny last time.
Expect Liddard to be on the front foot from the get-go and, with only four stoppages to his name, I’m not sure Morello hits with enough authority to deter the local man.
The punters seem to agree and support this week means Liddard is now just 4/5 to win by stoppage. For those who like to play at those odds, I wouldn’t put anyone off that backing outcome, but the value could be in the round group betting.
You can get 7/2 for Liddard to win in the first half of this 12-rounder and, given the way he started against Denny in March, along with his upward trajectory, I think those who take that price can get a real good run for their money.
I am expecting a big performance from Liddard, and he should confirm his promise by claiming another belt at 160lbs.
Teofimo Lopez v Rolando Romero
Also live on DAZN, Teofimo Lopez bids to become a three-weight world champion when he steps up to face WBA welterweight king Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Both men are known for their inconsistency, and it will be very interesting to see which versions of the two combatants turn up here, but the best of Lopez beats the best of Romero, in my opinion, and that is where my money will be going.
Lopez is a 2/5 favourite, and Romero is available at 14/5, but it is the latter who arrives on the back of a career-best win.
Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) was a big underdog when he dropped and outpointed Ryan Garcia to claim this belt on his debut at 147lbs in May last year. That’s a great victory on paper, but the reality is that it was a very poor fight with very little action and Garcia looked to be way below his best.
Still, Romero must be respected following that win, especially as Lopez was last seen losing a very wide decision to Shakur Stevenson at super lightweight in January. However, the supremely talented Stevenson is capable of doing that to anyone and it’s unlikely Romero would have fared any better against the maestro from New Jersey.
Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) found himself in the very unusual position of not being the fastest man in the ring that night and he struggled to get his shots off. It will be a different story here, though, as Romero is nowhere near as quick as Stevenson and Lopez should enjoy a speed advantage.
Prior to losing to Stevenson, Lopez became the first man to beat Arnold Barboza Jr as he boxed well to claim a clear decision victory. That added to his standout wins against the brilliant Vasyl Lomachenko at 135lbs and the previously unbeaten Josh Taylor at 140lbs.
In short, Lopez boasts the best wins by far in this contest and surely the new weight and the chance of another world title will have motivated him.
He has turned in poor performances in the past, like when being outpointed by George Kambosos Jr in 2021 and sneaking past Sandor Martin the following year, but he usually rises to the occasion when he needs to.
Romero is the puncher here, but he isn’t the most technically sound, often squaring up when he attacks and that allows him to be caught coming in. That was how he was stopped by Gervonta Davis in 2022 and he was also halted in his other loss – against Isaac Cruz in 2024.
So, he is vulnerable but it’s four years since Lopez last recorded a win inside the distance and if he is to win here it is likely to be via a decision, which is a best price of 5/6. That can be boosted to 11/8 if you take the challenger to claim a unanimous verdict and I see him claiming a comfortable victory if he’s at his best.
Lopez is more skilled and more versatile than Romero, while he is also much quicker and more athletic. Add those factors to his superior movement and better jab, and you can make a strong case for him outboxing the champion.
Romero is the naturally bigger man and has a dangerous left hook, but there isn’t much else that he does better than Lopez. He has also been out of the ring for 15 months and could be a step behind Lopez for much of this contest.
I fancy a motivated Lopez to produce the goods and claim a comfortable decision against Romero, who looked flattered by his victory over Garcia.
Posted at 12:00 BST on 21/08/26
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