Josh Kelly becomes UK’s latest world champion after stunning Bakhram Murtazaliev
Kelly won the IBF light-middleweight title by majority decision in Newcastle.
Josh Kelly became the UK’s latest world champion after he rose from the canvas to claim the IBF light-middleweight title with a majority decision victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev in Newcastle.
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Kelly dropped his much-fancied opponent in the fourth round with a counter left hand but Murtazaliev was swiftly back to his feet and the Russian earned his own knockdown with a savage left in the ninth.
Despite beating the count, Kelly struggled for the next couple of rounds but he finished strongly and got the nod with scores of 115-111 and 114-113 in his favour, with a third judge seeing it 113-113.
The 31-year-old was slick for much of the fight, with his movement and his ability to get in and out of the pocket confounding Murtazaliev, who adjusted well as the fight wore on but Kelly did just enough.
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Kelly becomes the first fighter from Sunderland to win a world title and joins heavyweight Fabio Wardley, welterweight Lewis Crocker, super-featherweight Jazza Dickens, featherweight Nick Ball and light-welterweight Dalton Smith as a reigning male world champion from the UK.
“History has been made tonight,” Kelly said in the ring afterwards. “This feels like a dream.
“I was calm, cool, collected, never got greedy, except in the ninth round and I paid the price for it, but I showed I’ve got heart, got up late in the fight and continued.”
Kelly improved his record to 18 wins from 20 fights after handing Murtazaliev his first professional defeat in 24 bouts.