On the biggest night of his career, Josh Kelly finally delivered on the promise that has followed him for nearly a decade. The 31-year-old Sunderland native produced a composed, disciplined performance to earn a majority decision victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev, claiming the IBF junior middleweight championship live on DAZN.
The judges scored the fight 113-113, 115-111, and 114-113, reflecting a tense, momentum-shifting contest that tested Kelly’s skill, resilience, and maturity.
Winning Over Hostile Territory
Ordinarily, fighters from Sunderland don’t receive a warm welcome when they make the short trip to Newcastle. Kelly, however, was buoyed by a loud and loyal contingent that roared him on from the opening bell.
That partisan atmosphere did little to unsettle Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KOs). The 33-year-old Russian, ranked No. 4 at junior middleweight by The Ring, quickly found his range and targeted Kelly’s body with sharp right hands as Kelly circled the ring early.
Rather than constantly retreating, Kelly chose his moments to stand his ground a key adjustment that paid dividends late in the second round when he landed a razor-sharp left hook as the bell sounded.
Momentum Swings and a Knockdown
By the fourth round, Kelly had begun to time Murtazaliev’s forward pressure. A graze appeared beneath the Russian’s left eye, and moments later he was dropped by a perfectly timed left jab after overcommitting on a right hand.
Murtazaliev rose smiling, but Kelly showed veteran poise, opting to box intelligently to the end of the round rather than chase a risky finish.
The challenger clawed back some initiative in the fifth, yet walked into a stiff counter right at the bell and absorbed another left hand early in the sixth. The fight was beginning to slip away from him.
With confidence flowing, Kelly showboated briefly in the seventh as Murtazaliev plodded forward throwing single shots — but the fight was far from over.
Crisis and Composure
Out of nowhere, Murtazaliev found a lifeline in the ninth round, dropping Kelly with a heavy left hook high on the head. Kelly sank to the canvas, clearly hurt, but beat the count.
His movement looked loose and ragged in the immediate aftermath, yet he showed composure under fire, avoiding sustained damage and surviving the round.
Rather than emptying the tank, Murtazaliev showed restraint in the tenth, allowing Kelly to box his way through a surprisingly close frame. Kelly regained rhythm in the eleventh, though Murtazaliev continued to land clipping shots as Kelly slipped out of range.
A Champion Emerges
Both fighters sensed the fight hung in the balance entering the twelfth. Murtazaliev pressed forward desperately, but Kelly narrowly evaded a series of heavy right hands and answered with a crisp two-handed burst, punctuating the closing moments of a gripping contest.
When the scores were read, Kelly’s long journey finally reached its destination. After nearly nine years as a professional, he is now a world champion and suddenly a major player in a loaded junior middleweight division. With elite names circling and a potential clash with Jaron Ennis looming on the horizon, Josh Kelly’s long-awaited arrival may be only the beginning.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
