A fight between Josh Kelly and IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev is in the works for September 13th, the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford card on Netflix at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Kelly vs. Murtazaliev: Canelo Undercard
Murtazaliev-Kelly are in talks for the Canelo-Crawford undercard. If it gets made, it would give a boost to the card, which is still being fleshed out. It would be a fight to appease UK fans, mostly, as Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) is from England and competed in the 2016 Olympics.
UK Fans Get Kelly Fight
Lance Pugmire revealed the news of the negotiations between Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) and Kelly for the September 13th card. American fans aren’t pleased about this because they want to see Murtazaliev defend against his IBF mandatory Erickson Lubin, who has worked himself into the #1 spot. In contrast, Kelly is known for being knocked out by David Avanesyan in 2021.
Kelly has won his last eight fights against a mix of British and European-level fighters. He came close to losing to Ishmael Davis last September on the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois card at Wembley Stadium in London. He squeaked by with a 12-round majority decision. Davis was blown out in six rounds in his next fight by Serhii Bohachuk.
Murtazaliev has been inactive since obliterating former WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu in a third-round knockout last October in Orlando, Florida. He dropped Tszyu four times in the fight before it was halted. That win should have put Murtazaliev in high demand, but it’s worked against him. He’s been treated as a pariah by promoters and fighters, who have ignored him.
Murtazaliev’s Inactivity Concerns
If the Murtazaliev-Kelly fight gets made, Bakhram will be coming off an 11-month layoff. It likely won’t affect him in this fight because this fight is a complete mismatch. Kelly is a finesse-level fighter with no power, and he’ll be moving all night.
Turki Alalshikh might regret placing this fight on the Canelo-Crawford undercard. This is going to be a “Tom and Jerry” type of fight because that’s the style that Kelly uses. He’s a mover and mostly defends.