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Ben Whittaker, Pat Brown, Dalton Smith and George Liddard headline Matchroom's autumn schedule

July 21, 2026 5 min read
Ben Whittaker, Pat Brown, Dalton Smith and George Liddard headline Matchroom's autumn schedule

Photo: Matchroom Boxing

Matchroom Boxing has confirmed a packed autumn schedule across the UK, with Ben Whittaker, Dalton Smith, Pat Brown and George Liddard all set to headline major fight nights between August and October live on DAZN.

Matchroom Boxing has announced a packed autumn schedule across the United Kingdom, with Ben Whittaker, Pat Brown, Dalton Smith and George Liddard all set to headline major fight nights between August and October, live on DAZN.

George Liddard returns to York Hall

The schedule begins at London's iconic York Hall on August 22, where unbeaten middleweight George Liddard will take on Italy's Dario Morello for the European Middleweight Championship.

Liddard returns after successfully defending his British and Commonwealth titles against Tyler Denny earlier this year and will once again fight at the venue where he dethroned Kieron Conway in the tenth round back in November 2025.

The unbeaten 24-year-old has made no secret of his ambition to reach world level, and a convincing victory over Morello would move him another step closer to that goal.

Romford's Jimmy Sains will face Newark's Tom Cowling for the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight title after Liddard vacated the championship, continuing his own pursuit of bigger honours in the sport.

Sains enters the contest with an unbeaten 12-0 record, including 10 knockout victories, while Cowling will look to build on the biggest win of his career after defeating Aaron Bowen in Birmingham last November.

The vacant English Middleweight title will also be on the line as undefeated 21-year-old Leli Buttigieg takes on fellow unbeaten Paul Gordon.

Both men bring perfect records into York Hall, with Buttigieg boasting a 12-0 record while Gordon sits at 9-0.

Teenage sensation Tiah Mai Ayton, who is backed by the legendary Katie Taylor, will challenge Ellie Hellewell for the vacant Commonwealth Featherweight Championship.

Still only 19 years old, Ayton has made a rapid start to her professional career, winning all six of her contests.

Olympic silver medallist Pat McCormack also returns to the ring as he looks to rebuild following his defeat to Conah Walker in Monte Carlo last December.

Pat Brown faces biggest test to date

Attention then turns to Manchester's Co-Op Live on September 19, where John Hedges will face Pat Brown for the British and Commonwealth Cruiserweight titles.

North meets south as Hedges looks to silence the home crowd, while Brown aims to continue his unbeaten rise in front of his Manchester supporters.

Entering the fight with a perfect 12-0 record, Hedges has quickly built a reputation as one of Britain's most promising cruiserweights.

The Essex fighter will be aiming to secure the biggest victory of his career and claim his first major professional titles.

Brown has also enjoyed an excellent start to life in the paid ranks since representing Great Britain at the 2024 Olympic Games, already capturing the WBA International and IBF Intercontinental cruiserweight titles.

With both men unbeaten and domestic honours on the line, the clash promises to be one of the standout all-British contests of the year, with the winner expected to move towards even bigger opportunities.

Ben Whittaker returns to Birmingham

The West Midlands then takes centre stage on October 3 as Ben Whittaker returns to Birmingham to face Australia's Conor Wallace in an IBF Light Heavyweight title eliminator at the Utilita Arena.

Fresh from his impressive American debut, Whittaker enters the contest full of confidence after stopping the ageing Richard Rivera inside two rounds at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Domestic boxing fans have long called for Whittaker to step up the level of opposition, and those calls have now been answered. Wallace represents the toughest test of his professional career so far.

The Australian brings a 17-1 record into the contest, with 12 victories coming by knockout. Could Wallace spoil Whittaker's homecoming, or will the Olympic silver medallist prove he is ready to compete at world level?

Dalton Smith returns home as world champion

Matchroom's autumn schedule concludes on October 24 as WBC World Super Lightweight champion Dalton Smith returns to his hometown of Sheffield for the first defence of his world title against former champion Alberto Puello at the Utilita Arena.

Wearing the colours of his beloved Sheffield Wednesday, Smith fulfilled a lifelong ambition earlier this year when he travelled to New York and stopped Subriel Matias to become WBC world champion.

Standing on the opposite side of the ring will be Dominican southpaw Alberto Puello, a former world champion determined to reclaim the title he lost in 2025.

The 24-1 contender earned his mandatory position and will arrive in the Steel City looking to spoil Smith's homecoming.

With Smith's dream of eventually headlining a stadium show at Hillsborough still firmly in sight, a successful title defence against Puello could move that ambition one step closer.

From established stars to some of Britain's brightest prospects, Matchroom's autumn schedule provides a major platform for fighters at every stage of their careers to make a statement.

With domestic titles, European honours and world championship opportunities all on the line, each event promises plenty of intrigue for boxing fans throughout the autumn.

Henry Elwell

Henry Elwell is a sports writer based in Lincoln, UK, specialising in combat sports coverage across both boxing and mixed martial arts. Alongside his writing, Henry has gained experience presenting boxing events, attending press conferences and hosting media events, building a broad range of skills during his time at the University of Lincoln. He also played a key role in the University of Lincoln's coverage of Lincoln City F.C. during the club's title-winning 2025/26 campaign. His work included writing match reports and feature articles, as well as interviewing the team's manager and numerous first-team players.

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