George Liddard will challenge Michel Soro for the IBO middleweight title on December 12 at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo, Matchroom announced. The DAZN card also features Josh Padley against Moussa Gholam for the interim WBA super featherweight belt.

Liddard (15-0, 9 KOs) gets an experienced opponent after collecting British, Commonwealth and European titles. The 24-year-old stopped Dario Morello in the eighth round in August, following a points win over Tyler Denny in March.

Those results earned Liddard a move beyond the domestic and European circuit. Soro provides a chance to show whether he can maintain that progress against someone with experience against higher-level opposition.

The French-based Soro won the IBO belt by stopping Hassan Mwakinyo in the ninth round in June in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. His career includes fights against Brian Castaño and Israil Madrimov, giving him considerably more experience than the unbeaten challenger.

Matchroom is promoting the bout as Liddard’s first world title opportunity. The IBO sits outside the four major sanctioning bodies, however, and beating Soro would be a step toward establishing Liddard among the leading middleweights rather than proof he has reached the top.

“These are the fights I have looked forward to throughout my career,” said Liddard. “I am putting everything on the line in such a prestigious place.”

Padley’s appearance gives the undercard another recognizable name. The former electrician is familiar to fans from his fight with Shakur Stevenson and now faces Gholam with an interim belt available.

Heavyweights David Adeleye and Leo Atang are also scheduled to appear, although their opponents have not been announced. Adeleye is due to fight in Los Angeles on November 14 before returning in Monaco, while Atang has an October 24 appearance in Sheffield first.
Ishmael Davis against Junaid Bostan completes the announced lineup.

Jacob Bank meets Janibek Alimkhanuly on January 23 in Horsens, Denmark, for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. That placement gives the younger contender home-turf momentum against an older veteran returning from an extended layoff.

Both camps reached terms earlier this month. These updated details lock in the date and venue for Bank (20-0, 11 KOs) to test himself against the former unified middleweight champion.

Hamzah Sheeraz vacated the belt after being directed to face Janibek, clearing the path for Bank. The WBO promptly ordered talks between the pair of undefeated fighters.

At 25, Bank brings youth, current ring sharpness, and familiarity with the 168-pound limit. He has stepped inside the ropes three times in 2026, entering this contest with no ring rust. Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Janibek spent the entire calendar year idle before stepping up in weight.

Bank gained his strongest validation by stopping William Scull in the 12th round this past January. He stopped the Cuban survivor who previously lasted the full distance against Canelo Alvarez, staying on the hunt until he finally broke through.

The contrast goes beyond the finish. Bank appeared bigger, fresher, and physically stronger against Scull than Alvarez looked. He tackled the task like a true super middleweight, eager to assert his presence and refusing to let Scull’s tentative approach slow the action.

The Kazakh southpaw brings championship rounds alongside sharp counterpunching, yet neither fighter has built an extensive resume against upper-echelon rivals. Janibek’s tight points victory over Denzel Bentley proved that his feared reputation will not intimidate a gritty challenger.

Bank’s amateur pedigree pales in comparison to Janibek’s world-class amateur foundation, but elite pedigree matters far less when a physical, aggressive fighter turns a bout into an ugly high-volume battle. Denzel Bentley proved in 2022 that Janibek doesn’t handle persistent, physical inside pressure cleanly. Bentley’s pressure left him looking exhausted by the eighth round.

At 33, coming off a twelve-month layoff, spending that much energy in the early going is dangerous. The legs are the first thing to go when fatigue sets in. If Janibek’s mobility fades by the middle rounds, he will be forced to stand flat-footed along the ropes against a much younger super middleweight who fights three times a year and is accustomed to that grueling pace.

Unbeaten boxer Abel Mendoza was once tipped to surpass Floyd Mayweather’s famous 50-0 record, but his career has slowed considerably despite moving to within six victories of the benchmark.

The 30-year-old Texan, who currently stands at 44-0 with 32 knockouts on BoxRec, has recorded just two professional victories since January 2025, when World Boxing News highlighted his chances of overtaking Mayweather.

Mendoza was 42-0 at the time and told WBN he would have liked to reach 51-0 before the end of that year if the opportunities came his way.

“If it were up to me, it would be this year! I love to fight and would fight every day if possible,” Mendoza told WBN exclusively.

Almost 21 months later, his career has lost momentum, and the undefeated American is still waiting for the breakthrough fight he wanted.

Abel Mendoza’s Record Dispute

Mendoza has also spent years at odds with BoxRec over victories he believes are missing from his listed record.

In July 2025, WBN documented how his record dropped from 42-0 to 41-0 despite another victory in Colombia.

Mendoza insisted he should have been 45-0, having previously complained about missing victories dating back to 2022.

His current 44-0 listing remains one victory below the tally he claimed last year, although the figure has increased from the 41-0 shown during the previous dispute.

The record confusion has continued alongside a significant reduction in activity.

According to BoxRec, Mendoza’s only traditional professional appearances since December 2024 were victories over Juvenal Herrera in July 2025 and Javier Rodriguez in May 2026.

That represents a sharp decline for a fighter who previously averaged four or five contests annually.

WBN had also highlighted the confusion caused by Team Combat League results appearing alongside Mendoza’s professional recordincluding defeats that do not count toward his traditional 44-0 tally.

Mendoza Addresses His Future

WBN contacted Mendoza this week to clarify his current record and whether he had fought again since May.

The unbeaten lightweight confirmed he had not fought recently but revealed that an announcement was coming.

“I will announce my upcoming fight next week,” Mendoza told WBN.

Mendoza has previously expressed his desire to fight more regularly as he attempts to get his career moving again.

However, beating Mayweather’s record was never his main ambition.

“My goal was never to beat Floyd’s record. It is to become a world champion. If I have got to be 100-0 to do that, then so be it.”

Mendoza remains unbeaten and six victories away from matching Mayweather’s 50-0, but the bigger question is whether his promised announcement will finally lead to the world title opportunity he has spent years chasing.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

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