🥊 Fight Results — Murtazaliev vs Kelly (Newcastle)
Josh Kelly defeated Bakhram Murtazaliev by Majority Decision (115–111, 114–113, 113–113) to win the IBF super welterweight title in a dramatic back-and-forth fight that featured knockdowns for both men.
Josh Padley stopped Jaouad Belmehdi by TKO (Round 2, 2:35), overwhelming Belmehdi with sustained pressure to claim the vacant EBU European super featherweight title.
Elif Nur Turhan retained her IBF lightweight title, defeating Taylah Gentzen by Split Decision (96–94, 93–97, 98–92).
Leo Atang demolished Amine Boucetta by KO (Round 3, 0:39) in a heavyweight main-card opener.
Prelims
Josh Blenkiron edged Robbie Colman by Points (96–95) to win the vacant Northern Area lightweight title.
Kiaran MacDonald won his professional debut, defeating Marius Vysniauskas by Points (40–35).
Lee Rogers shut out Erick Omar Lopez by Points (60–54).
Bradley Casey opened the show with a Points win over Lee Roberts (40–36).
IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev will finally return to the ring, with his long-awaited title defense against Josh Kelly now officially set. The bout will be promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and streamed live on DAZN, with a fight date locked in for late January.
The event is expected to take place in the north east of England, with Newcastle positioned as the leading host city given Kelly’s Sunderland roots. The announcement ends months of delays that followed Murtazaliev’s dominant third-round knockout victory over former champion Tim Tszyu back on October 19, 2024.
Murtazaliev was initially steered toward a mandatory defense against Erickson Lubin, but those negotiations collapsed when Lubin opted for a more lucrative fight against WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on November 8. That shift placed Kelly next in line, though progress was slowed by the IBF’s rigid purse split that limited Kelly’s earnings.
In the co-main event, Josh Padley and Jaouad Belmehdi meet for the European junior lightweight title.
Padley (17-1, 5 KOs), a 30-year-old from Yorkshire, enjoyed a defining 2025 that reshaped his career. Thrust into the spotlight as a late replacement against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson in February, Padley was stopped inside nine rounds but earned widespread respect for accepting the fight on short notice after Floyd Schofield Jr. withdrew due to illness.
He rebounded strongly, scoring a knockout win over Marko Cvetanovic in April and closing the year with a unanimous decision over Reece Bellotti in October. The financial boost from the Stevenson bout also allowed Padley to leave his full-time job as an electrician and commit fully to boxing.
Belmehdi (23-2-3, 11 KOs), 27, enters looking to derail Padley’s momentum. Fighting largely in France, he most recently dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Can Xu in August and now gets a chance to claim European honors on British soil.
Fight card:
▪️Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly, 12 rounds, for Murtazaliev’s IBF super welterweight title
▪️Josh Padley vs. Jaouad Belmehdi, 12 rounds, for the vacant EBU European super featherweight title
▪️Elif Nur Turhan vs. Taylah Gentzen, 10 rounds, for Turhan’s IBF lightweight title
▪️Leo Atang vs. Amine Boucetta, 4 rounds, heavyweight
Prelims:
▪️Josh Blenkiron vs. Robbie Colman, 10 rounds, for the Northern Area lightweight title
▪️Kiaran MacDonald vs. Marius Vysniauskas, 4 rounds, bantamweight
▪️Lee Rogers vs. Erick Omar Lopez, 6 rounds, super bantamweight
▪️Bradley Casey vs. Lee Roberts, 4 rounds, cruiserweight
Watch prelims live here.
