The IBF has ordered Caoimhin Agyarko to face Bakhram Murtazaliev in a reshuffled final elimination at junior middleweight after Brandon Adams was forced out of last weekend’s fight.
The change comes after Adams collapsed in his Las Vegas hotel room with chest pains the morning before the weigh-in and was taken to hospital, leading to the cancellation of the scheduled main event at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan. The fight was set to decide the mandatory challenger for IBF titleholder Josh Kelly, but the withdrawal left the slot open.
The sanctioning body has now moved to keep the process active rather than revisiting the same match. Murtazaliev, a former titleholder known for his strength at 154, has already informed the IBF he will take the fight. Agyarko was given a deadline to accept the order.
That substitution shifts the difficulty level of the assignment. Adams brought experience and durability, but Murtazaliev is a different kind of opponent, with a more aggressive style and a track record against higher-level opposition. Taking this fight means a tougher night for Agyarko.
The decision facing Agyarko is simple. Accept the fight and move straight to a high-risk knockout with a mandatory position on the line, or turn it down and risk losing ground in the IBF rankings. There is no guarantee that a similar event will return in the same form.
Adams is said to be stable after receiving treatment, and there has been early discussion of revisiting the original match once he recovers. The IBF has already moved forward without it, and the next step now depends on Agyarko’s response.
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Related Boxing News:
Last updated on 2026/04/16 at 15:39
