Josh Kelly Faces Avoided IBF Champion Bakhram Murtazaliev

Why layoffs can’t be ignored

Murtazaliev last fought in October 2024, when he defeated Tim Tszyu and confirmed his position at 154 pounds. The doors should have opened. It didn’t happen. He came out of that fight dangerous, dominant and commercially struggling. Being too strong without drawing power leaves fighters stuck.

Tools remain. pressure. Ring cutter. Stick to shots that do damage rather than win praise. What needs to be proven now is the timing. Long breaks boring instincts. Closing the space in front of the engine after such a long time is not automatic.

Kelly’s plan is clear and fragile

There is no mystery about Josh Kelly’s approach. He will move. He will cheat. He will touch once and walk away. Single shots only. Anything else risks collapse.

Kelly can’t trade. He cannot rely on exchanges. Against Murtazaliev, this type of fight ends quickly. Survival depends on controlling your distance and coming out clean every round.

The problem is sustainability. Movement slows down. Burning legs. The ring is shrinking. Murtazaliev thrives when opponents lose by half a step.

The professional edge on which Kelly stands

Kelly is a 2016 Olympian and has already rebuilt once. A sixth-round stoppage loss to David Avanesyan in 2021 cost him years. He clawed it back carefully. At 31 years old, that path has become shorter.

Another loss in the championship will not end his career. This is a crucial mission, whether he says so or not.

Winning changes everything. The IBF belt brings leverage. Jaron Ennis has already been mentioned. Virgil Ortiz Jr. and Sebastian Fundora live in the same section. Those battles only exist with hardware.

What this fight really decides

Murtazaliev enters as the favorite. The expectation is to build pressure round by round until Kelly runs out of space. Kelly needs near-perfect execution. Murtazaliev needs to show that layoffs have not stolen sharpness.

The bottom card adds texture. Josh Baddeley faces Jaouad Belmehdi in a twelve-round fight for the vacant EBU super featherweight title. It is reported that Baddeley interfered late on Shakur Stevenson last February in Riyadh and was suspended. This is an opportunity to reset.

The main event settles more than just defense. Murtazaliev needs momentum and vision. Kelly needs proof that he still belongs at this level. Only one is left with the answers.