IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Bakhram Murtazaliev and #3 Rankings Josh Kelly was reportedly negotiated on a fight on the undercap of Canelo Alvarez against Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium.
Murtazaliev-kelly-struggle negotiations
Lance pugmire broke the story On Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 costs) and Kelly (17-1-1, 9 COs) negotiate to fight it on the Canelo Crawford card. If the fight is fed, it will create some importance for the undercap.
Murtazaliev has not fought since his knockout victory over Tim Tszyu on October 19 last year in Orlando, Florida. The performance has effectively deterred all the top 154 pounds. None of the top fighters wanted to entangled Bakhram after what he did to Tszyu.
IBF Mandatory Lubin Problem
People wonder what happened to Murtazaliev’s defense against his IBF mandatory Erickson Lubi. The IBF ordered the fight, and it is supposed to happen next. If Murtazaliev will defend against Kelly, 31, that means there must be a step-aside agreement.
It is the only well -known contender who has expressed interest in fighting Murtazaliev, but it is not as if he has any choice. He is number 1 with the IBF. It is either for Lubin or nothing, and fights in uncertainty in non-world title fights.
American fans prefer to see Murtazaliev to Lubin because he is a solid fighter, and they are more familiar with him than Kelly. For many Americans, they know Kelly of his sixth round loss to David Avanesyan in 2021. He looked awful in that battle, and he was dominated by Avanesyan.
By putting Murtazaliev-Kelly on the bottom map on September 13, some of the British fans will be motivated to subscribe to Netflix to look at the event. There is no reason for British to look at the Canelo against Crawford because they do not come from their world area.
Wan -adjustment or car accident fight?
So far, none of the names have attracted interest. This battle would be compelling in a car accident type. It is a complete mismatch on paper, but it will certainly make fans talk.
Turki Alalshikh said last week that he wanted to use young, hungry fighters on the map because he felt that the main meeting between the undisputed super -middleweight champion Canelo and Crawford was large enough without having a strong supporting cast.
Considering that there are many fans who are not delighted with the outdated Crawford and his fighting style, it is a good idea for Turki to make the bottom of the skeleton disappear.
Last updated on 06/19/2025