Josh Kelly’s fairytale night in Newcastle took an even more surreal turn minutes after he became IBF super welterweight champion. Fresh off his narrow majority decision win over Bakhram Murtazaliev, the Sunderland native was left stunned when his hometown football club immediately expressed interest in hosting his first title defense at the Stadium of Light.
Speaking after the fight, Matchroom executive Frank Smith revealed that Sunderland AFC had wasted no time reaching out. “They’ve just text,” Smith said, before reading the message aloud: “Let’s get it on, Stadium of Light next.” The club also invited Kelly to attend a boardroom meeting on Monday to discuss making the event a reality, prompting an emotional reaction from the new champion. “That’s crazy,” Kelly responded. “Jesus Christ.”
Kelly’s title win capped a dramatic evening at the Utilita Arena, where he overcame a knockdown to outpoint Bakhram Murtazaliev and claim Britain’s newest world championship. Several Sunderland players, including Dan Ballard and Simon Adingra, were in attendance, adding to the sense of a city rallying behind its local hero.
At 31, Kelly suddenly finds himself with a wealth of options. A showdown with Jaron Ennis is already written into his Matchroom contract following Ennis’ move up to 154lbs, while Conor Benn has also been mentioned as a potential opponent despite campaigning primarily at welterweight. Benn’s recent ventures as high as middleweight mean a bout at super welterweight would not be out of the question.
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