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Ayton, Maca, Bevan: The prospects ready to shine at York Hall on Conway-Liddard undercard
Boxing will return to York Hall on Friday night when Kieron Conway defends his British and Commonwealth middleweight titles against George Liddard.
Conway, (23-3-1), has won his last four fights and is riding the crest of a wave, but will have his work cut out against unbeaten challenger Liddard, (12-0), who has seven wins inside the distance.
It promises to be a thrilling contest, but will it be the best of the night? Matchroom has stacked the undercard with exciting prospects who will all be looking to steal the show.
Let’s look at who will be in action further down the card at one of British boxing’s most iconic venues.
Adam Maca
Adam Maca made his professional debut in June just weeks after celebrating his 18th birthday.
It was hardly a quiet introduction to the ranks either, as he starred at Madison Square Garden in New York, winning via second-round stoppage.
Maca is now back on home turf as he looks to continue his development. He enjoyed a stellar amateur career as he claimed five national titles, and he has no intention of hanging around as a professional.
Maca, born to an Albanian father and British-Yemeni mother, wants to be an undisputed champion by the age of 25.
Josh Taylor is the only Brit in the four-belt era to earn undisputed status, but Maca has his sights set on joining him and has plenty of talent to match his ambition.
The super bantamweight will be aiming for another early finish on Friday ahead of a potentially busy 2026.
Taylor Bevan
Taylor Bevan also thrived in the amateur ranks, winning a silver medal while representing Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
He signed with Matchroom last year and has already had five fights. Bevan is yet to be extended beyond the second round, with his punching power coming to the fore in his first 12 months as a professional.
Eddie Hearn branded him a “world-class prospect” earlier this year and he has lived up to the hype so far.
Bevan will be 25 in January and is progressing well as he looks to make his mark in the professional game.
It could benefit him to get some rounds under his belt to prove he has the skills and stamina to complement his power.
However, few will be complaining if he delivers another knockout finish to continue his rapid rise.
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Tiah-Mai Ayton
Tiah-Mai Ayton could be the pick of the bunch on Friday’s undercard.
Still only 19, Ayton is set for her third professional outing after winning her previous two by knockout.
She is a former kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion at youth level and is only getting better after turning her attention to boxing.
Boxing icon Katie Taylor believes Ayton is “best female boxer in the world” already and claims she will be the “future” of the sport.
Ayton has also impressed when sparring elite-level fighters, including former world champion Skye Nicolson.
Ayton has power in both hands and has already shown she can pick her opponents apart at will.
She wants to be the youngest undisputed champion ever and has every chance of achieving her goal given she will not turn 20 until next August.
Fighting at York Hall will be another step up the ladder for Ayton, and do not be surprised if she is fast-tracked towards world honours over the next 12 months.
Jermaine Dhliwayo
Jermaine Dhliwayo is the nephew of hevayweight veteran Derek Chisora and will be bidding to extend his unbeaten run on Friday night.
He competes in the lightweight division and made his debut on the undercard of Chisora's win over Joe Joyce in July 2024.
Dhliwayo has racked up six wins over the last 15 months to get his professional career up and running.
He is not as far along in his development as some of the other names on Friday's undercard, but is still only 23 and has time on his side.
For now, his main concern is improving his skillset and gaining experience before he starts targeting titles and looking to follow in Chisora's footsteps.
Jimmy Sains
Jimmy Sains takes the chief support slot on Friday’s card, and he could go on to face one of the main event fighters in the future.
The 24-year-old middleweight contender will face Troy Coleman for the vacant English title and there is plenty of hype surrounding Sains already.
He has won his first 10 fights and only been taken the distance once in his last outing when he picked up the Southern Area title at 160lbs.
Sains is trained by the highly rated Tony Sims, allowing him to work alongside the likes of Conor Benn and Daniel Dubois in the gym.
He is only likely to improve while training with world-class operators, and we may have only seen glimpses of Sains’ potential to date.
If Sains can go through the gears against Coleman on Friday, he could quickly move on to the British scene and beyond in the coming months.
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