CANARY WHARF, LONDON -- There's noticeably a different swagger to George Liddard since the last time I saw him during fight week.

Rewind 16 months and he was giddy-but-grateful before featuring on the undercard of a long-anticipated Anthony Joshua fight night at The O2, as the former two-time unified world heavyweight champion stopped Robert Helenius in August 2023.

Now, albeit at the smaller indigo venue, he features in the headline spot across from a well-seasoned pro as Derrick Osaze (13-2, 3 KOs) looks to spoil their Friday night showdown on DAZN, bouncing back from the first stoppage defeat of his career by world title challenger and current European champion Denzel Bentley last August.

The 22-year-old isn't taking him lightly, but when asked to assess where the 31-year-old's level is as an opponent, he told The Ring:

"I'd say he's English, fringe British level, after all his only two losses were to Tyler Denny and Bentley, both European champions. He beat Kieron Conway [May 2019] along the way in winning the Boxxer tournament, so to beat him and put a big performance on, sets the tone for the rest of the 160-pound division."

Bentley dropped and outpointed Brad Pauls to reclaim British middleweight gold on December 7, after the latter's two-fight series with Nathan Heaney. The previous November, Heaney outboxed and pitched a career-best win over Bentley as the domestic scene unexpectedly broke into a winner-stays-on round robin.

That begs the question: how far off that British level is Liddard, really?

"I'm ready. It's just about experience now, hopefully Derrick can take me a few rounds, we'll see, not many have been able to. Bring me Heaney and Pauls, I'll show you what level I'm at... handle my business Friday night first and then we'll be knocking on the doors of a lot of them soon, I'm excited and was made for these big nights."

Osaze joked that the West Ham supporter dresses like Eddie Hearn and probably shops at the same designer too, but beyond the smart brown two-piece suit and ever-growing profile as a prospect-turned-contender, he knows how good this younger man is. "You don't headline a Matchroom card otherwise," he quipped.

"I refuse to become anyone's stepping stone or gatekeeper, they've brought me here for a reason and I'm here to mess up the script. I win by any means necessary, he's an up-and-coming prospect with a football club behind him but strip away all these big cameras, media attention, fans... when the referee signals for everyone to get out of the ring, it's just us two."

Where does Liddard's confidence come from?

"Last year, I matured from a boy to a man, still young but have a wise head on young shoulders and you have to be in this game. I've dedicated my life to this sport. Tony [Sims, his trainer] is experienced, everyone around me is rubbing off. The biggest thing I learned is patience, was used to rushing and looking for knockouts but I'm not and they're coming, so I'm excited to prove it on the bigger stages."

The pre-fight underdog laughed at the suggestion this was clever matchmaking on Matchroom's part, anticipating Osaze had slid far enough for Liddard to be tested but eventually prevail before moving onto even tougher opposition later this year.

Instead, he had a pointed message for those doubting him after having a proposed comeback in Dubai cancelled ten days out from fight night last October.

"Diminished version of myself and on the slide? Think that at your peril. I wouldn't have accepted this, unless I was confident of victory. Had the Denzel fight not gone as it did or the Dubai card not got cancelled, this opportunity wouldn't have presented itself. George knows he's in for a tough night, it's for me to go out there and prove that now," he told The Ring after Wednesday's press conference.

We'll have to wait and see.