There is a common misconception that working to the body means getting hit more in return and I don't think that is true, though it often turns out that way. If you lead with body punches you'll get hit in return and you'll deserve it because (1) its not good to reach with your punches (2)you'll be hitting arms mostly anyway (3)it needn't be that way. Look to hit the body off counters vs. his jab inparticular, and the right as well.
There are two other false beliefs about body punching: its a mostly left hook kind of task and that you have to keep at it round after round to make it effective. In truth the straight right to the heart was for decades a legitimate ko blow and the right uppecut to the solar plexus is a draining punch. And one well timed and set up blow to the body has often changed the course of a fight, doing more damage than 10 rounds of "shoeshine" combos to the body. Read the accounts of fights from 1900 til today and see how often one body punch drains a fighter.
When hitting the body it is best to get the shoulder of the punching arm to level with the target; so to hit the liver try turning over your left leg (like you've just thrown a winging right hook/swing). Your head is protected by your right shoulder your left shoulder is lowered to target height and the start of the liver punch is hidden from him.