Josh Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) won by split decision over Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KOs) at the main event of the boxing evening in Newcastle, England. Thus, Kelly became the new world champion in the light middleweight category under the IBF version. After twelve rounds, one judge saw a draw of 113-113, while the other two awarded the victory to the local fighter 115-111, 114-113.
In the fourth round, Murtazaliev suffered a not very severe knockdown. Kelly hit the floor in the ninth round after a left hook to the head but managed to get up on the count of "eight." For most of the fight, Kelly counterattacked, playing around with Murtazaliev by working on the body, throwing combinations, and noticeably outperforming his opponent in speed.
