Kelly will fight for a world title for the first time when he challenges Murtazaliev for the IBF junior middleweight title on DAZN. While the bout was set for some time, the circumstances surrounding it changed, with Murtazaliev entering the fight after a 15-month absence from the ring.
How much sharpness Murtazaliev brings after that gap is the one the unknown Kelly is clearly betting on.
Murtazaliev is a heavy puncher and has a clear advantage in power. Kelly, a 2016 Olympian, learned in his 2021 loss to David Avanesyan that trading pressure fighters is not an option for him. His path requires movement, distance and control. If Murtazaliev is going to score a knockout, he will need to track down Kelly rather than wait for exchanges.
The two will square off in a 12-round fight at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England on January 31st. This is Kelly’s hometown, and the crowd support should be solidly behind him. He will need that energy to stay disciplined and mobile against a fighter who applies steady pressure.
In Murtazaliev’s last fight, he stopped former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu in October 2024 and knocked him down four times before ending the fight in the third round. Earlier that year he won the IBF title with an 11th round knockout of Jack Culcay.
Murtazaliev carries knockout power in both hands and uses a stiff jab to close distance. Since the Tszyu win, he hasn’t been chased by the top names at 154 despite holding a major belt. Instead of getting a high-profile unification or voluntary defense, he now returns against Kelly.
Kelly’s advantages are hand speed, mobility and ring awareness rather than power. Since the Avanesyan loss, he has won seven straight fights and generally boxed with control. The concern remains stamina. When forced to work at a high pace under sustained pressure, Kelly showed signs of fading.
Fan expectation leaned heavily towards a one-sided outcome for Murtazaliev, based primarily on Kelly’s fight against Avanesyan. The question now is whether the layoff blunts Murtazaliev’s timing enough for Kelly’s move to matter, or whether the power gap ends the discussion early.
