Remember me
Saturday brings the first championship fight in the North East for a decade, and the arena is already spoken for. Josh Kelly has walked through fight week like a fighter who expects the room to lean his way from the first bell. Murtazaliev has stayed compact, letting past rounds speak. That works when timing comes back on cue. It gets harder when it does not.
What does fifteen months do to a champion’s timing?Time out cuts both ways. Some fighters come back sharp, others need a round or two to find distance and feel. Murtazaliev is testing that question on the road, in a building that will not wait politely for him to warm up. Early clinches, missed jabs, half-steps late, those things grow louder under local noise.
He brushed off the concern himself. “15 months out was a long time, but it went very well. I was training a lot and I am looking forward a lot to stepping in the ring on Saturday and do what I like to and what I love to do.” He smiled at the talk of trouble. “They’re confident, as you would expect. It makes me laugh a little bit about knocking me down. But let’s see what Saturday is going to bring and let’s see what’s after the fight.”
That confidence is earned. The risk sits in whether the first exchanges ask him questions before he has rhythm.
Why Kelly treats this as personalKelly has spoken like someone who feels aligned with the night. “This is where I belong. This is where I’m meant to be.” His words kept circling back to calm rather than tension. “I feel at home, I feel relaxed. This is everything I’ve visioned and everything I’ve thought about.” He even stripped the champion of myth. “If Bakram never boxed and he worked on a farm, I would work somewhere in a shopping center.”
Kelly believes the belt changes hands here. “I believe I will be the new IBF World Champion.” Belief does not win rounds. Pressure, tempo, and forcing the champion to work early can.
The fight answers itself once the jab starts landing and feet set. Until then, the layoff stays quiet and dangerous.
Date: January 31, 2026
Start time: 5 pm local; 12 pm ET; 5 pm UK
Streaming platform: DAZN
Venue: Utilita Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
Fight card: Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly Final Press Conference ahead of their BF World Super Welterweight Title fight on Saturday night.
Comments (0)