On Saturday, January 31, at the Newcastle Arena, Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly headlines a Matchroom Boxing card live on DAZN. They will clash for Murtazaliev’s IBF super welterweight title.
Murtazaliev will clash with Kelly for the Russian’s IBF crown, which he won in 2024 against Tim Tszyu. We’ll bring you all the results from every fight on the card. The card will begin at approximately 17:00 GMT/13:00 ET.
All results from Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly on January 31
Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly
After an entertaining undercard, it was time for Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly for Murtazaliev’s IBF super welterweight title.
It was an interesting opening round, with Kelly showing good lateral movement. Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KOs) did have his moments with single shots, but Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) took them well and showcased speed in his responses. Kelly showed some impressive hand speed at the end of the second round and seemed to gain the respect of Murtazaliev, who nodded in approval.
The third round saw Murtazaliev continue to walk Kelly down, but the Brit looked comfortable and picked his shots well, making the Russian consistently miss. Kelly enjoyed a dream fourth round, showing speed and accuracy, landing a left hand, knocking the Russian down. Murtazaliev had some success in the fifth and continued to apply pressure, but Kelly showed scintillating speed when countering.
Over the next few rounds, the Russian looked irritated and continued to walk Kelly down, whose lateral movement enabled him to keep evading Murtazaliev’s attacks. The ninth round was a huge moment in the fight, as Murtazaliev landed a left hook high on Kelly’s head, scoring a knockdown.
After a difficult few rounds, Kelly seemed to recover in the eleventh, moving and picking his punches. Both had their success in that round, making it a difficult one to score. The final round saw Kelly show slickness to make Murtazaliev miss and counter him with speed. It was a great last round for the Brit.
The judges’ scorecards read 113-113, while the final two scored it 115-111 and 114-113, making Josh Kelly the new IBF super welterweight world champion!
Josh Padley vs Jaouad Belmehdi
It was the turn of the super featherweights next, as Josh Padley (18-1, 6 KOs) faced Jaouad Belmehdi (23-3-3, 11 KOs) for the vacant European super featherweight title.
Padley started brightly in the first round and looked confident. In the second round, he hurt Belmehdi with a left hook and soon knocked his opponent down with another left hook. Padley smelt blood and landed a series of accurate heavy punches that saw Belmehdi crash to the canvas. The referee then waved the fight off, awarding Padley the second-round TKO win. Josh Padley is now the European super featherweight champion!
Eli Turhan vs Taylah Gentzen
Elif Turhan (13-0, 8 KOs) was up next in the first defence of her IBF lightweight world title against Taylah Gentzen (8-2, 3 KOs).
It was a confident start from Gentzen, who moved well and landed some nice punches, while making the IBF champion miss through lateral movement. Gentzen continued to move well, but as the rounds progressed, Turhan began to find her opponent with more regularity.
By the midway point, it appeared that Turhan began to get the better of her opponent in what was a largely messy fight. As the rounds progressed, Gentzen appeared to get a second wind, moving well and engaging at the right times. Turhan landed a big right hand in the eighth round, but despite buckling the Aussie’s legs, she survived until the end of the round. The Turkish fighter had more success in the ninth round, applying pressure and landing big punches.
It was a rare Turhan fight that went to the judges’ scorecards, which read 97-93 for Gentzen, while the other two favoured the pressure tactics of the Turkish fighter, scoring it 98-92 and 96-94. A strong end to the fight was enough for Turhan to retain her IBF title.
Leo Atang vs Amine Boucetta
The first fight on the Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly main undercard saw Leo Atang (4-0, 4 KOs) vs Amine Boucetta (9-18, 0 KOs) in the heavyweight division.
An expected strong start from Atang saw him keep things long and vary his punches well. Boucetta continued to prioritise survival, while Atang stayed on the front foot and showed good variation in the opening two rounds. A nice flurry of punches, followed by a left hand, saw Boucetta take a knee and fail to beat the referee’s count. Atang’s perfect start continues.
Josh Blenkiron vs Robbie Colman
Josh Blenkiron (8-0-1, 0 KOs) vs Robbie Colman (7-1, 1 KO) was next up for the vacant Northern Area lightweight title.
Colman started well and looked to apply pressure, but Blenkiron put his shots together well and had him looking confident after the first two rounds. Both continued to have their moments over the next few rounds, but the work of “Blenka” looked cleaner. Colman applied effective pressure in the fourth and made it look uncomfortable for Blenkiron, in what was the 28-year-old’s best round of the fight.
More back-and-forth action ensued over the next few rounds, with Colman forcing the pace. Despite this, the quality work continued to come from Blenkiron. The pressure and desire of Colman never deserted him, but the smarter work continued to come from Blenkiron. A brilliant ninth round saw both fighters give everything and trade punches for the entire three minutes.
The referee had seen enough of Colman’s gumshield coming out and deducted a point in the final round. Colman and Blenkiron both deserve huge credit for what was a joy to watch from the first bell. It went to the referee’s scorecard, which read 96-95 in favour of Josh Blenkiron, the new Northern Area lightweight champion.
Kiaran MacDonald vs Marius Vysniauskas
Up next on the Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly undercard in the bantamweight division was the exciting amateur Kiaran MacDonald (1-0, 0 KOs), making his professional debut against Marius Vysniauskas (3-28, 1 KO).
A very good opening round from the debutant, who landed some beautiful body shots, with the right hook to the body standing out. MacDonald continued to box impressively and varied his attacks, while slipping anything that came back from Vysniauskas.
As the Lithuanian tried to force the pressure in the fourth round, the Sunderland native landed a perfectly timed counter right, scoring a knockdown, which only confirmed his domination. MacDonald showed poise throughout the four rounds and deserved the 40-35 win on the referee’s scorecard.
Lee Rogers vs Erick Omar Lopez
Next up in the super bantamweight division was Lee Rogers (7-0, 2 KOs) vs Erick Omar Lopez (20-35-3, 12 KOs).
It was a good opening round from Rogers, as he showcased slick movement and picked his shots well. The slick work from Rogers continued, and even when Lopez tried to fight back, the Newcastle native remained in control.
Lopez looked to apply pressure and throw punches, but Rogers proved too nimble for his brave opponent. The Mexican continued to come forward and look to engage, but Rogers timed his shots well throughout and deserved the shut-out 60-54 victory.
Bradley Casey vs Lee Roberts
In the opening fight of the night, it was Bradley Casey (4-0, 1 KO) vs Lee Roberts (1-4, 1 KO) in the cruiserweight division.
After a pedestrian first half of the opening round, Casey quickly got into his groove, worked well off his jab and varied his punches impressively. The domination and impressive work rate continued from the 21-year-old. Roberts showed bravery, but he just couldn’t live with the variation from Casey.
Casey’s work rate continued until the final bell, and his accuracy improved. It was ultimately a comfortable night for Casey, who won 40-36 on the referee’s scorecard.
