Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly | DAZN - 31 January 2026

[Ruthless-RKO]

Bakhram Murtazaliev's Frustration Mounts As Layoff Extends Beyond One Year

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Bakhram Murtazaliev's career-defining victory.

The unbeaten Russian brutalized Tim Tszyu on October 19, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. Tszyu was a 7-1 favorite, but Murtazaliev tore through the former WBO junior middleweight champion.

The taller, hard-hitting Murtazaliev dropped the courageous Australian four times, three times in the second round and once in the third. Tszyu’s trainer, Igor Goloubev, threw in the towel after Tszyu got up from the fourth knockdown.

Murtazaliev made a fantastic first defense of the IBF junior middleweight championship he won when knocking out Germany’s Jack Culcay in the 11th round six months earlier in Berlin. He and his team left Caribe Royale Resort that night thinking he’d have his pick from a list of intriguing potential opponents within a stacked division.

A demoralized Murtazaliev hasn’t fought since.

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, Murtazaliev’s promoter, thought she had finalized a deal for Murtazaliev to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. on a Riyadh Season card earlier this year, but she was informed Ortiz hadn’t accepted it.

Duva later was sure Murtazaliev would make a mandated defense of his IBF belt against Erickson Lubin, but Lubin withdrew from the process before a scheduled purse bid because he instead decided to oppose Ortiz for his WBC interim title November 8 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas, is The Ring’s No. 1 junior middleweight contender for a vacant championship. Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) is ranked fourth and Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs), a southpaw from Orlando, is fifth.

Her fighter’s inactivity has been beyond frustrating for Duva, who feels “terrible” that Murtazaliev hasn’t been able to capitalize on a very impressive victory over Tszyu.

“We thought that when Bakhram got a title in such a hot division that this would be great,” Duva told The Ring. “We’d be able to fight all the champions and they’d all wanna unify, but nobody seems to want to do that. Think about it – Lubin turned down a title fight to go and fight somebody without a title. I know [Ortiz] has some sort of title, but does that count now?”

Lubin informed The Ring that he chose Ortiz over Murtazaliev because it’s a higher-profile fight for more money. As much as Lubin wants to become a world champion, simple economics sent him in a different direction even after he knocked out Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-1, 6 KOs) in the 11th round of their IBF elimination match May 10 in Kissimmee, Florida.

Josh Kelly is interested in challenging Murtazaliev, but their handlers haven’t secured the requisite financing for the fight.

England’s Kelly (17-1, 11 KOs), ranked third among the IBF’s contenders, is its highest-rated available challenger for Murtazaliev. The IBF has scheduled a purse bid for Murtazaliev-Kelly for Tuesday, but it’s unclear if Kelly would accept an 85-15 purse split that favors Murtazaliev because Kelly isn’t the No. 1 contender.

The No. 1 position in the IBF’s junior middleweight ratings has been vacant since Lubin decided to fight Ortiz.

The 32-year-old Murtazaliev has stayed in the gym, but he and his trainer, Roma Kalantaryan, aren’t optimistic about making his second title defense anytime soon.

“When the cameras are on, everybody’s just talking, talking, talking,” Kalantaryan said. “But nobody wants to fight. It’s pretty frustrating. The guy has been training for almost a year, getting ready for all kinds of fights they’re promising, and nothing’s working out. Everybody says yes, but as soon as it’s time to sign the [contract], no one’s doing it.”

Murtazaliev’s marketability in the United States, or lack thereof, has hurt his cause as well when opponents like Lubin assess their options. Main Events doesn’t have a deal with a network or streaming service, either, which has made moving Murtazaliev more challenging.

Murtazaliev’s predicament will worsen if he doesn’t get a fight scheduled soon to take place prior to February 17, the start of Ramadan. A devout Muslim, Murtazaliev prefers not to train or fight during his religion’s month for fasting, prayer, service, communal gathering and spiritual development.

Ortiz’s trainer, Robert Garcia, told The Ring late in the summer that the IBF’s rehydration limit removed Murtazaliev from their list of possible opponents. Unlike the WBA, WBC and WBO, the IBF prohibits champions and challengers in all weight classes from coming in more than 10 pounds above division limits at second-day weigh-ins for title fights it sanctions.

“I don’t think it’s the IBF rehydration clause and all of that,” Murtazaliev said. “It’s all about money. They’re probably not getting paid enough to take a fight like this and that’s why they won’t fight me. But I have no problem fighting anybody. It doesn’t matter who.”

Duva believes raised financial expectations of fighters, managers and promoters at a time when Riyadh Season is funding cards in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and the UK have devalued world titles and thus made it harder to match Murtazaliev.

“People don’t want the title anymore,” Duva said. “It’s just really frustrating, but this is where we are. I think you’re gonna find stuff like this happening a lot more often. I don’t think this is an isolated incident that has to do with Bakhram. It has to do with the fact that people’s expectations have been raised to such a level that, suddenly, if they’re not gonna get a fortune, they don’t wanna fight.

“Bakhram, to his credit, has said, ‘Whatever it is, I’ll take the fight. I wanna keep my title.’ He’s been offered far more money to go to Russia and fight, but he’d have to give up the title and thus far chosen not to do that. I give him credit. He’d rather fight a tougher fight for less money, when he could go to Russia for infinitely more money and it’s basically, ‘Bring your own opponent.’”

[MPW]

This is a good example of how the multitude of titles has watered down what it means to be a champion. There was a time when fighters would have been clamoring for a shot to take on Murtazeliev in an attempt to claim his belt. Now, the belt and the title are secondary to how much money they're going to get paid, although I don't blame anyone, much less boxers who put their lives and wellbeing on the line in the ring, for wanting to receive as much as possible. Let's be honest, without a per-fight side deal with his promoter, I certainly wouldn't blame Kelly for turning down 15% of - for example - a $100K winning purse bid. Is $15K worth it to fight Murtazeliev?

[Taansend]

Kathy Duva blaming others for her poor job looking after Murtazaliev

[Ruthless-RKO]

Kathy Duva blaming others for her poor job looking after Murtazaliev

She should go see Turki.

Or does Turki not work with women?

[MPW]

Just read the purse bid has been moved to October 28. I guess in their defense, the IBF didn't say what year.

[Taansend]

Kathy Duva blaming others for her poor job looking after Murtazaliev

She should go see Turki.

Or does Turki not work with women?

Just keep him busy. She's from a promoting dynasty. She knows the business better than Turki does.

Instead of whinging about people not fighting Murta because they can earn more money elsewhere just follow the GGG route. Get Murta out 3 or 4 times a year. The opposition doesn't matter if people are seeing this scary 'Russian'* knock over people in the ring.

By the time he has his next fight he will have fought TWICE IN THREE YEARS.

After beating Proksa Golovkin fought TEN TIMES in less than that.

This wasn't the 1950's or 70's. This was only a decade ago.

Here's the IBF top 15. 1 & 2 are empty.

3 Josh Kelly United Kingdom (GBR)
4 Callum Walsh Ireland (IRL)
5 Jaron Ennis United States (USA)
6 Uisma Lima Portugal (PRT)
7 Giovanni Santillan United States (USA)
8 Brandon Adams United States (USA)
9 Nikita Tszyu Australia (AUS)
10 Caoimhin Agyarko Ireland (IRL)
11 Ardreal Holmes Jr. United States (USA)
12 Freudis Rojas United States (USA)
13 Bakary Samake France (FRA)
14 Wendy Toussaint United States (USA)
15 Ben Mahoney Australia (AUS)

I'm pretty certain I could have got him fights against 3 of these lot since he fought Tszyu. Even Tszyu has fought twice since getting a battering from Murta.

All I see online is about how avoided this bloke is. Total bollocks. You create the buzz. You force the issue. He's 33 soon & every article I read is the same. Blaming everyone else whilst he's not actually fighting.

Freudis Rojas is a 27 year old Hispanic bloke from Vegas with a 15(11)-0 record. Sampson Lewkowicz is his promoter. You know he'd bite your hand off for a title shot for this kid.

I think he beats Kelly but I really hope Kelly makes him look stupid & batters him just as I am so bored of the narrative around this geezer.

Rant over

* - it doesn't matter to the mainstream Western public. Russian, Uzbek, Ukraine, etc etc. Ex Soviet all has an aura.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Bakhram Murtazaliev-Josh Kelly IBF Purse Bid Postponed Again

Bakhram Murtazaliev was hoping to find an immediate resolution for his next appearance but he's going to have to wait a little longer.

The Ring has learned that purse bids between the IBF junior middleweight champ and No. 3-ranked contender, Josh Kelly, have been postponed until October 28. The bid was originally scheduled to take place later today via video conference. Should Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) accept whatever offer is presented to him next week, he’ll be in line for just 15 percent of the bid since he isn’t their highest contender. The No. 1 and No. 2 spots are currently vacant.

Kathy Duva, who manages Murtazaliev and is the CEO of promotional company Main Events, has attempted to find funding for their matchup and desperately wants her champion to make his return.

Murtazaliev was initially under the impression that he would be facing former No. 1 ranked contender, Erickson Lubin. However, the 30-year-old withdrew and later accepted a more lucrative bout with Vergil Ortiz Jr., which will take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on November 8, live on DAZN.

It was just over a year ago that Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) grabbed the biggest win of his career, a third-round stoppage over Tim Tszyu, to win his title.

Kelly, who‘s managed by Adam Booth, has won seven straight since losing by KO to David Avanesyan in 2021.

[MPW]

Kathy Duva blaming others for her poor job looking after Murtazaliev

She should go see Turki.

Or does Turki not work with women?

Just keep him busy. She's from a promoting dynasty. She knows the business better than Turki does.

Instead of whinging about people not fighting Murta because they can earn more money elsewhere just follow the GGG route. Get Murta out 3 or 4 times a year. The opposition doesn't matter if people are seeing this scary 'Russian'* knock over people in the ring.

By the time he has his next fight he will have fought TWICE IN THREE YEARS.

After beating Proksa Golovkin fought TEN TIMES in less than that.

This wasn't the 1950's or 70's. This was only a decade ago.

Here's the IBF top 15. 1 & 2 are empty.

3 Josh Kelly United Kingdom (GBR)
4 Callum Walsh Ireland (IRL)
5 Jaron Ennis United States (USA)
6 Uisma Lima Portugal (PRT)
7 Giovanni Santillan United States (USA)
8 Brandon Adams United States (USA)
9 Nikita Tszyu Australia (AUS)
10 Caoimhin Agyarko Ireland (IRL)
11 Ardreal Holmes Jr. United States (USA)
12 Freudis Rojas United States (USA)
13 Bakary Samake France (FRA)
14 Wendy Toussaint United States (USA)
15 Ben Mahoney Australia (AUS)

I'm pretty certain I could have got him fights against 3 of these lot since he fought Tszyu. Even Tszyu has fought twice since getting a battering from Murta.

All I see online is about how avoided this bloke is. Total bollocks. You create the buzz. You force the issue. He's 33 soon & every article I read is the same. Blaming everyone else whilst he's not actually fighting.

Freudis Rojas is a 27 year old Hispanic bloke from Vegas with a 15(11)-0 record. Sampson Lewkowicz is his promoter. You know he'd bite your hand off for a title shot for this kid.

I think he beats Kelly but I really hope Kelly makes him look stupid & batters him just as I am so bored of the narrative around this geezer.

Rant over

* - it doesn't matter to the mainstream Western public. Russian, Uzbek, Ukraine, etc etc. Ex Soviet all has an aura.

I agree wholeheartedly, keep him busy. Or, in this case, get him busy. Top of the heap fighters may not jump at the opportunity to fight the scary Russian, especially if the money isn't right, but I think pretty much anyone outside of the top three on the list would want a shot at the title. Isn't that the motivation for the majority of boxers, win a world title?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Money doesn't matter: Bakhram Murtazaliev, Josh Kelly need to fight

The ongoing saga of getting Bakhram Murtazaliev back in the ring is depriving the IBF 154lbs champion of his prime and causing much consternation among his handlers and those of planned challenger, England’s Josh Kelly.

Beset by minimal television interest, a discouraging-to-Kelly 85/15 percent purse split in champion Murtazaliev’s favor, the fighters’ low profiles in the U.S., and a purse bid for the bout that was delayed until Tuesday this week, provided fodder for Wednesday’s episode of “Boxing Scene Today” on ProBoxTV.

“Josh Kelly should take this opportunity to take the short money,” analyst and former 140lbs world champion Chris Algieri said. “Legacy’s legacy.”

As the highest-ranked contender to Russia’s California-trained Murtazaliev 23-0 (17 KOs), the former U.K. Olympian Kelly, 17-1-1 (9 KOs), was given the title shot after higher ranked Erickson Lubin walked away from the title opportunity to take the richer November 8 purse offered to fight WBC interim 154lbs champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr in Texas.

“Take the risk even though the reward is not so sweet,” Algieri urged.

He should know. More than a decade ago, Algieri accepted a lowball offer to fight then 140lbs champion Ruslan Provodnikov and beat him, landing a seven-figure fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2014.

Afterwards, Algieri proceeded to lucrative dates against Amir Khan and Errol Spence Jnr.

As for Murtazaliev, who is now one year and four days removed from his last fight, all the momentum from that third-round TKO of former champion Tim Tszyu has been watered down by his absence.

In the meantime, Fundora, Ortiz and Ennis have distinguished themselves as popular draws in boxing’s deepest division.

“Bakhram needs to get busy and fight,” analyst and former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said. “Instead of being pushed as the red-hot, scary guy in the division, he’s had to wait. He doesn’t have many options.”

Malignaggi recalls also being in a similar situation to the 31-year-old Kelly, accepting a fight when it seemed if he didn’t he might have to wait another five years.

“Kelly has shown to be a lot of sizzle and no steak,” Malignaggi said. “Hes missing a little character, doesn’t know how to dig down. And if you’re missing a little character, you might not care about missing a title fight.”

If Kelly and Murtazaliev fail to strike a deal, the IBF is empowered to strip[ the champion and drop Kelly in the rankings.

Murtazaliev is promoted by Kathy Duva’s Main Events, which lacks an American broadcast deal, and Kelly is with Wasserman Boxing. Algieri said the likelihood of Kelly being the draw in a U.K.-based fight as a popular Olympian provides some leverage.

“Kelly has a little pushback [to perhaps seek a cut of Murtazaliev’s purse] because Murtazaliev needs a fight,” Malignaggi said.

Any major promoter of the existing top 154lbs fighters – Ortiz, Lubin, Jaron “Boots” Ennis or Sebastian Fundora – would be wise to watch this negotiation closely and have an opponent on stand-by for Murtazaliev if the negotiations crumble to help set up a bigger fight next time around.

“If Murtazaliev goes [overseas] and wipes the floor with Kelly, it’ll elevate his profile once more,” Algieri said. “He’s in a tough situation, but it comes down to, ‘We’ve got to get this guy in the ring and take this fight.’ He has to get active, even if the opponent doesn’t like the money.”

Malignaggi, long an advocate for Eastern European fighters, said, “This is why they ‘don’t fight anybody.’ No one wants to fight them. They’re easily avoidable because they don’t have the [widespread] popularity, and they’re monsters.”

[MPW]

The purse bid is due today. It will be interesting - or maybe not - to see how this plays out.

[Ruthless-RKO]

REPORT: BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV-JOSH KELLY DEAL AGREED FOR LATE JANUARY

After last week's IBF purse bid postponement for Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly, the two sides were expected to revisit bids on Tuesday.

However, The Ring has been informed that it has been officially canceled, and a deal is now imminent. A source close to the situation explained that small details are being ironed out, but a formal announcement is forthcoming. Fight Freaks Unite have reported that a date in late January is in play and that Matchroom will promote the fight, which is likely to land in England.

This will be music to Murtazaliev's ears. The IBF junior middleweight champ was one of the hottest names in the division following his explosive third-round knockout win over Tim Tszyu to win the title on October 19, 2024, at the Caribe Royal in Orlando, Florida.

He has not fought since. Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) was originally on the verge of facing the IBF's then No. 1-ranked contender, Erickson Lubin. The former title challenger, however, went in another direction. He’s now scheduled to face WBC interim champion, Vergil Ortiz Jr., on November 8 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, live on DAZN.

As for Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs), the IBF’s No. 3 ranked contender has been on a roll since losing to David Avanesyan via stoppage in 2022. His seven-fight win streak includes a June 6 first-round victory over Flavius Biea.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Bakhram Murtazaliev-Josh Kelly could be heading to Newcastle, England, in January

The long and winding road of bringing IBF 154lbs champion Bakhram Murtazaliev back into a boxing ring is nearing a conclusion with word Tuesday that his team has called off purse-bid talks with Josh Kelly and is on “the brink of a deal” with the U.K.-based contender.

An official connected to the negotiations told BS that Murtazaliev-Kelly is expected to be promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, targeting a fight date near the end of January in the U.K. with DAZN streaming the bout.

It is likely that the fight will be headed to the north east of England; Kelly is from Sunderland and nearby Newcastle is the favorite to host, another official told Boxing Scene.

That individual said Matchroom beat a U.S.-based promoter to seal the deal, and that February 14 is also in play as a potential date.

Russia’s Murtazaliev, 23-0 (17 KOs), has been away from the ring since his defining October 19, 2024, third-round knockout of former champion Tim Tszyu in Florida.

His talks with mandatory opponent Erickson Lubin crumbled when Lubin opted to take a far higher purse against WBC interim 154lbs champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr November 8 in Fort Worth, Texas.

That moved Murtazaliev to Kelly, 17-1-1 (9 KOs), but the IBF’s restrictive purse percentage severely limited Kelly’s proposed earnings, causing negotiating delays.

As many boxing luminaries are attending the WBO Convention in Bogota, Colombia, this week, the official said they “will put words to paper next week,” finalizing the contract and moving Murtazaliev, 32, closer to his greatly anticipated return.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Winner of Murtazaliev-Kelly an option for Jaron Ennis if Vergil Ortiz fight falls through

IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev finally has his next fight lined up, and it will come against Josh Kelly.

The targeted date for the matchup is January 31 in England, but a formal announcement has not been made yet.

Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, who previously was not involved with either fighter, stepped into the situation to stage the fight and saved it from going to a purse bid last week. Hearn is keen on the clash because he wants to have the option to set up the winner with Jaron “Boots” Ennis sometime in 2026.

“[Kelly’s trainer and manager] Adam Booth approached us about doing the fight. I don't represent Josh Kelly at the moment, and Murtazaliev is with Kathy Duva, Luis Decubas, and Egis Klimas, whom I've got a good relationship with,” Hearn told The Ring.

“I agreed to a deal to stage the fight. I like the fight. Murtazaliev is a very good fighter, and we are investing in that division with Jaron Ennis. Anytime there is a Brit fighting a very good fighter for a world title, I'm excited by it … Tying up the deal for the fight, obviously, we want to have a horse in the race, if you want to call it that way. We are putting our money up for the fight. We're interested to see the outcome of that fight.”

Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) has not fought since destroying Tim Tyzsu in three rounds in October of last year. Many options like Vergil Ortiz Jr. and mandatory challenger Erickson Lubin have come and gone for Murtazaliev, and it was Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) who ultimately got the assignment.

Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) and Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) are fighting each other Saturday to headline a Golden Boy show on DAZN. Hearn and Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) will be ringside in Fort Worth, Texas, to ramp up a potential showdown with the winner. Their preference is Ortiz, but the betting underdog Lubin is a dangerous opponent who has a path to victory as well.

“You always want to win a world title, but the fact is that the best fight that could be made in the 154-pound division is Boots versus Vergil Ortiz,” said Hearn.

“I just hope Vergil and his team truly want that fight, because that is, for me, the best fight in the division. If we can't get the fight, of course, we will target the winner of Murtazaliev-Kelly.”

[forcefraser]

Kelly will get an absolute towelling if this fight actually happens

[Taansend]

What's a bigger upset?

Kelly knocking out Murtazaliev or Sunderland finishing top 4 this season?

And by knock out I mean knock out. Beat down & stopped

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

MATCHROOM ANNOUNCES EARLY 2026 SCHEDULE: THREE WORLD TITLE FIGHTS ACROSS FOUR CARDS

Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn promised to begin the 2026 slate with a series of big fight nights and Friday night, they announced four shows across UK and U.S. markets in January and February.

Having won the purse bid for Andy Cruz's impending world lightweight title shot, it has now been confirmed the Cuban will face newly-minted champion Raymond Muratalla atop a January 24 show at Las Vegas' Fontainebleau. This is the same venue WBO flyweight beltholder Anthony Olascuaga defended his title as part of the Canelo-Crawford fight week festivities in September.

Bozy Ennis-trained contender Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) will fancy his chances against Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs), especially given head coach Robert Garcia's admission the champion could be headed up to 140 pounds after this first championship defence.

The following weekend, January 31, another IBF title will be up for grabs when unbeaten junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev makes his long-awaited second defence against Sunderland's Josh Kelly at Newcastle's 11,000-seater Utilita Arena.

Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) will again venture into enemy territory as he ends a 15-month absence from competition, though that won't faze him as Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) has flattered to deceive at times and will face a serious step-up in competition on his return to Matchroom.

Three weeks later sees a rematch more than two years in the making, when former world champions Leigh Wood (28-4, 17 KOs) and Josh Warrington (32-4-1, 8 KOs) collide at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena. Wood trailed 59-55 on two scorecards and 58-56 on the other, before landing a right hook and flurry Warrington didn't see coming to end proceedings in the seventh round.

They've both suffered humbling defeats and contemplated their future since then, but will run back one of 2023's most entertaining spectacles in Wood's hometown after his ninth-round stoppage defeat by Anthony Cacace in May.

The following weekend, Matchroom head stateside after brokering a deal to ensure the IBF/WBO title unification between Eduardo Nunez and Emanuel Navarrete is the next port of call for both men in Glendale, Arizona - home to one of the country's largest Mexican populations.

Nunez (29-1, 27 KOs) didn't have it all his own way but earned a gritty 12-round decision win over Christopher Diaz-Velez in his September homecoming, having overwhelmed Masanori Rikiishi for the 130-pound strap in Yokohama, Japan four months earlier.

Hearn bemoaned 'Sugar' feeling flat and drained from an emotional week, but he must be sharper next time out after facing off with Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) in the ring post-fight.

The 30-year-old was slated to be facing Philippines' challenger Charly Suarez in an immediate rematch of their May 10 matchup, which ended prematurely due to an accidental headbutt and was later ruled a no-contest after seven completed rounds.

Instead, fans will be treated to an explosive all-Mexican showdown in a weight division needing a jolt like this with high-risk, high-reward opportunities on the horizon.

[Taansend]

Come on Kelly

Sunderland are at home to Burnley that day so they'll be plenty of fans doing the double.

Joe Parker could make a lot of money in the North East that weekend

[Ruthless-RKO]

[smiling assassin]

Kelly will look like a world beater against the Russian until the russian starts to land. Be surprised if Kelly see the final bell

[Ruthless-RKO]

Leo Atang to start 2026 on the Bakhram Murtazaliev-Josh Kelly undercard

Heavyweight prospect Leo Atang will return to action in 2026 not long after he wrapped up his final fight of 2025.

Atang, an 18-year-old from York, England, moved to 3-0 (3 KOs) on the December 20 undercard of Craig Richards vs. Dan Azeez in Accra, Ghana. His win came via first-round stoppage against the 3-0 Babu Yusuf.

Atang’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing, has announced that the 6-foot-6 up-and-comer will be back on January 31 on the undercard of Bakhram Murtazaliev defending his junior middleweight title against Josh Kelly in Newcastle, England.

Atang’s other two fights in 2025 also ended in the opening round. He dispatched the 7-15 Milen Paunov in July and the 1-5-1 Cristian Uwaka in September.

[MPW]

Kelly will look like a world beater against the Russian until the russian starts to land. Be surprised if Kelly see the final bell

This is pretty much how I see the fight playing out too.

[TheLeprechaun]

Not too familiar with Bakram yet to make a pick. Waiting for Tim Tszyu to throw his telegraphed single left hook to the body and then countering with his own left hook was all he had to do. Tim kept doing it and kept getting hurt. I will need to see what he will do against negative Kelly. I would definitely prefer to see Kelly get done due to the dismal fights hes had me sit through. I think Kelly is a bit underrated at this point.

[Stobbo]

Kelly more style than substance
This fight will prove it again i think

[Taansend]

Has anyone eaten at Kelly's food truck?