Murtazaliev Gets Kelly — Not The Fight He Deserved

A deal was agreed between IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly for a fight on January 31, 2026, in England. Tuesday’s purse bid was reportedly canceled after a deal was reached for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing to promote the event.

Dan Rafael broke the story earlier today. #3 IBF Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) will be getting his first title shot after eight years in the pro ranks. It’s a tough one for him, as he lacks power and is overmatched in the only other time he fought a big puncher, in David Avanesyan, in a sixth-round knockout defeat on February 20, 2021.

Murtazaliev’s Year-Long Wait Ends

Bakhram (23-0, 17 KOs) has finally got a fight after sitting on the sidelines for a solid 12 months after scoring a career-best third-round knockout win over Tim Tszyu on October 19, 2024.

The Grozny, Russia-born Murtazaliev, 32, had hoped to capitalize on his upset victory over former WBO 154-lb champion Tszyu with big fights. He’s been treated like a leper by the top contenders and champions at junior middleweight. None of them has shown any interest in fighting him.

Is Kelly a Step Down for Champion?

Kelly, 31, is the best that Murtazaliev’s team could dig up, and that’s obviously nowhere near the top dogs that he would have preferred to fight. If Bakhram looks like pure impressive destroying Josh on January 31, 2026, perhaps some of the reluctant top fighters will show interest in fighting him if he doesn’t scare them or their promoters away.

BREAKING: Per source, on Monday night deal was made for fight between IBF 154 titlist Bakhram Murtazaliev & mandatory challenger Josh Kelly & Tuesday’s purse bid is canceled. Fight supposed to be Jan. 31 at site TBA in England. Matchroom Boxing will promote the fight. #boxing

— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 28, 2025

The 2016 Olympian Kelly has won his last seven fights since losing to Avanesyan in 2021. However, Kelly’s opposition has been far from sensational. Of those seven, Ishmael Davis stands out, and he’s lost three out of his last four fights. That kind of tells you the level of opposition that Kelly has been fighting since his loss to Avanesyan.

Social Media Predicts a Massacre

Fans on social media today have been ripping the Murtazaliev-Kelly fight, labeling it as a massacre waiting to happen. They’re not giving Kelly a chance to defeat Bakhram, predicting an early knockout.