Kelly has been quietly rebuilding his career since being stopped by David Avanesyan in 2021. He has since won seven straight fights, around the junior middleweight limit, earning his position as Murtazaliev’s mandatory challenger. He hasn’t faced anyone of this level during that time, but he believes his skills give him the chance to disrupt what most expect to happen.
That’s what makes this battle different. Murtazaliev is the strongest opponent Kelly has faced since Avanesyan, and he’s coming off a performance that continues to shape how people see him.
Murtazaliev last fought in October, when he stopped Tim Tszyu in three rounds and dropped him repeatedly in a performance that heralded his arrival at the top of the division. It was violent and one-sided, and it has remained in the background of every conversation about this fight ever since.
Kelly knows what that reputation brings, and he believes it has narrowed how the fight is judged.
Murtazaliev doesn’t need to win rounds to hurt you, and that’s what Kelly will be dealing with from the opening bell. The Russian’s style is built around pressure and power rather than pace, and he has shown he can end fights abruptly.
Kelly understands the risk and what it could cost him, as a knockout loss here would undo four years of rebuilding.
The fight comes after a long layoff for Murtazaliev, who hasn’t boxed in over a year, but Kelly isn’t reading much into it. He knows what the champion brings when he is healthy, and he knows there is little margin for error.
If Kelly can’t stay up against a puncher like Murtazaliev, none of the rest will matter.
