George Liddard is the new European middleweight champion. The Englishman delighted the fans who packed the Copper Box Arena in London with a dominant performance that left no way out for our own Dario Morello, who was thoroughly outclassed by an opponent who proved superior in every department. The fight was rightly stopped by “Spartan’s” corner after the conclusion of an extremely tough eighth round, which also featured a knockdown.
The illusion that the fight might develop into an evenly matched affair lasted just three minutes—the opening round. Even then, however, Liddard was merely ticking over while Morello immediately began drawing heavily on his energy reserves, throwing his punches with considerable force in an attempt to plant some doubt in his opponent’s mind.
Although it was a classic feeling-out round, it was immediately apparent that the hometown favorite had stepped into the ring with a very clear understanding of the characteristics of the man standing across from him. Every time Morello attempted his trademark looping left hook, Liddard avoided it by taking half a step backward before immediately coming back with his right hand: a clear automatic response drilled into him in the gym during preparation for the fight.
The Englishman raised the tempo at the beginning of the second round, and that alone was enough to make Morello stagger momentarily as he came off the ropes. Our boxer was therefore forced to circle away before attempting a spirited response late in the round. However, the impression that Liddard had also briefly lost his footing after taking a punch was ruthlessly dispelled by the replay, which clearly showed that the two fighters had actually clashed heads.
As the minutes went by, it became increasingly clear that Morello had a better chance of landing when he worked with straight punches, because his fully committed, wide-swinging hooks were easily avoided by the Englishman and forced the Italian to waste huge amounts of energy.
Liddard showed no urgency in looking for a stoppage. Instead, he increased the pace slightly with every round, making it increasingly difficult for “Spartan” to claim the center of the ring, helped by a precise and effective jab that kept the Italian pinned against the ropes. The fifth round was particularly dominant, with the home fighter catching Morello several times with a first-intention right hand, an extremely difficult punch to anticipate.
Almost as if he were playing cat and mouse, Liddard temporarily eased off the pressure in the sixth round, only to unleash another assault in the seventh, when things began to go from bad to worse for Morello. After absorbing a barrage of punches, the Italian was left with a nasty cut near his right eye, from which a considerable amount of blood began to flow.
The eighth round turned into a massacre. Spartan visibly felt an uppercut early in the round, was repeatedly hammered by Liddard’s punches in the middle portion, and finally, after a medical examination gave him a few seconds to catch his breath, he was knocked down by a right hook to the temple.
Credit must go to Dario for gritting his teeth and somehow making it to the end of the round, just as he deserves praise for his remarkably courageous desire to continue fighting despite the punishment he had endured. Nevertheless, his father and trainer, Ercole Morello, was right to signal to the referee that the fight should be stopped, since his chances of winning had by then become virtually nonexistent and the risk of suffering serious physical damage was excessively high.
The final embrace between the two fighters was a lovely sight, with Liddard inviting Morello to have breakfast together at the hotel the following morning. It highlighted the complete absence of animosity between them and Liddard’s desire to establish a cordial relationship with his “rival” now that their sporting battle was over.
After weeks of heated arguments, the ring delivered an unequivocal verdict: George Liddard is a better boxer than Dario Morello. His victory was not simply the result of a size advantage, as some had feared beforehand. In addition to punching harder and taking punches better, the Englishman displayed superior timing, a tactical strategy specifically designed to neutralize his opponent’s strengths, and a far broader and more complete range of offensive options.
Dario will now most likely be subjected to a barrage of insults and mockery from the countless social-media users he has “beefed with” over the past few weeks. They will throw his cocky words back in his face, mock his boastful attitude, and remind him of his invitations to bet large sums of money on him. From my point of view, those who choose to do so will be wrong. If we look at the substance of what happened, we must acknowledge that our guy accepted an extremely difficult fight away from home and faced it by giving one hundred percent, even though that ultimately wasn’t enough.
Morello stepped into the ring intending to see the fight through to the very end, absorbed a huge number of heavy punches without giving up, and showed his desire to keep pursuing his dream even when he was exhausted, dazed and bleeding. Regardless of the sympathies or antipathies that fans may freely feel toward him, all of that deserves respect.