Is O’Hare set to get a surprise title call-up?

Liam O'Hare...boxes at the Excelsior Club, Cannock, on September 26

WHAT title test next awaits Liam O’Hare, possibly the Midlands’ most improved fighter, is a puzzle.

Those guiding the Hereford hope added to the intrigue this week. Rather than challenge for the Midlands middleweight belt – as I expected – Liam may “jump a few rungs of the ladder”. He already holds the Midlands super-middleweight title.

Pure guesswork, but that suggests Liam, unbeaten in eight, may be edging towards a crack at the English championship, maybe, given his heritage, even the Irish. Is veteran manager PJ Rowson set to spring another surprise?

First O’Hare must overcome whoever is put in front of him at Cannock’s Excelsior Sporting Club on Thursday, September 26.

It will be his second appearance at Scott Murray’s plush Premier Suite venue where fans are wined and dined before the action begins.

“The fight is about getting me down to middle,” Liam, who trains at Birmigham’s Eastside gym, said. “It’s about getting the phone ringing at middle.”

Which weight division best suits the 27-year-old is another question. He’s fought as high as cruiserweight and Eastside’s Jon Pegg believes Liam’s best will be at light-middle (11st).

The answer may be in-between – middleweight.

I like Liam, an easy going individual with an infectious sense of humour. During our interview, the boxer revealed he’d proposed to his girlfriend during a recent holiday in Egypt. He did it by reciting a poem he’d penned for the occasion.

Liam may possess untapped literary skills. But, envisaging the romantic scene in my mind, I couldn’t help concluding love must be deaf as well as blind.

In the ring, he is coming on in leaps and bounds – and hitting with more venom. In June, on GBM’s major Skydome, Coventry, show, Liam KOd usually durable Harry Matthews in four.

“Jon (Pegg) has got me sitting down on my shots,” he said. “He’s helping me adjust and find my own style. Before I was trying to mix it up, now I’m trying to do what works for me.

“I’ll go as far as my skills take me. I’m learning something new every day, every day is a school day. If I keep learning I can become a very dangerous fighter.”

The GBM show was O’Hare’s first taste of boxing’s big stage and, despite being a late call-up, he appeared to blossom under the bright lights.

“It was a bit of an experience,” he added, “and I did it all with a smile on my face. The glitz is nice, but it’s the opponent, not the venue, that matters. I want to have that test and I’d be just as excited to test my mettle on a small hall show.”