UK Boxing
Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly – gigantic fight preview and predictions
The Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly fight will be the main event of Saturday’s gala promoted by Matchroom.
Murtazaliev puts his IBF super welterweight world title on the line against Kelly in Newcastle.
The Russian last took part in action in October 2024, over 15 months ago.
He defeated Tim Tszyu in three rounds, which was a brutal fight.
Before the break, Murtazaliev knocked down the Australian three times in the second round and once in the third before the referee stepped in.
The 33-year-old became world champion in April 2024, defeating Jack Culcay in the 11th round.
In Germany, he won the vacant IBF super welterweight title.
The Russian has an impressive 17 stoppage wins after an illustrious amateur career.
He will face Sunderland player Josh Kelly, who recently re-signed from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Kelly has lost just once in his 19-fight career, in 2021, when he was stopped by David Avanesyan.
Since this defeat, “PBK” has been playing flawlessly, recording seven victories, including three after the break.
Kelly appeared on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois, where he faced Ishmael Davis, who quickly strengthened his position.
He overtook Davis.
The 31-year-old last appeared on the pitch in May last year. where he detained Flavius Biea in opening round.
Prediction: Murtazaliev will likely be too much for Kelly, who will take a huge step up. I expect the Russian to be stopped in the mid to slow rounds, likely with a left hook as Kelly closes the distance.
Josh Padley vs. Jaouad Belmehdi fight
Doncaster’s Josh Padley returns to the ring after his last fight in October last year.
Padley received the nod via unanimous decision in his fight against Reece Bellotti, which could have gone either way.
After his controversial last performance, he will be looking to claim a more decisive victory on Saturday.
The 30-year-old made a name for himself on the world stage with a shock victory over Mark Chamberlain at Wembley Stadium.
Chamberlain was the clear favorite to fight under the card in the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois match.
He overtook Chamberlain and engaged in another fierce fight.
Padley got his shot at the WBC lightweight world title on a few days’ notice in a fight against Shakur Stevenson.
Despite a ninth-round stoppage, Padley put in a brave performance in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
He is fighting for his first title since winning the world title last year, with his goal being to capture the vacant EUB European super featherweight belt.
Padley will face Jaouad Belmehdi, a French super featherweight.
Belmehdi’s first defeat was to fellow Matchroom fighter Gary Cully, who stopped him in the first round in 2022.
After losing by unanimous decision to Can Xu in August last year, the Frenchman will want to get back to winning ways.
Prediction: Padley should be too much for Belmehdi and will likely win by points decision.
Undercard remaining
Elif Nur Turhan puts his IBF lightweight world title on the line in Newcastle after fighting just over a month ago in Monaco.
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She put on a real show in Monte Carlo, defeating Matchroom’s Beatriz Ferreira, whom she defeated in the first and fifth rounds before a nasty break.
Turhan faces Taylah Gentzen, an Australian fighter who last fought on the same day as Turhan, December 6, 2025.
She won a unanimous decision on the Gold Coast.
Prediction: Turhan will prove to be swift and robust and will ultimately be too gigantic for Gentzen. I expect to be stopped.
Matchroom heavyweight striker Leo Atang returns to action on Saturday.
Since signing the contract, he has been on the lips of many who see him as the future star of the division.
Atang has looked great since his debut, with three wins, all of which resulted in a first-round stoppage.
Atang should be too much for Amine Boucetta and will likely stop playing prematurely again.
Atang’s stablemate at York, Bradley Casey returns on the same card.
He picked up his third win since his debut in September and should pick up his fourth win against Lee Roberts on Saturday.
Josh Blenkiron fights for the Northern Area lightweight title against undefeated Robbie Colman.
Blenkiron should get the job done at Newcastle.
Both Lee Rogers and Kiaran MacDonald should pick up wins this evening.
The post Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly – Massive Fight Preview and Predictions appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Jarrell Miller shared his thoughts on the course of the blockbuster fight between Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora.
Wilder will face Chisora on April 4 at the O2 Arena and Miller has revealed who he thinks has the advantage.
April 4 marks the 50th fight of the careers of “The Bronze Bomber” and “Del Boy,” and the loser will likely retire.
Miller spoke to Up-to-date Betting Offers and honestly admitted that the threat from Wilder has diminished in recent years.
“Deontay’s skills deteriorated when he changed coaches.
“I feel like if Wilder stuck to his name, being a wild man and fighting wild and doing wild shit, he would still be a guy who is threatening.
“But when you try to tame the beast and become a boxer, he’s not a boxer. He’s never been through boxing the conventional way, and now you’re trying to change his style. It’s not working for him.
“Style makes fights, and Chisora has a style that definitely hurts him.”
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Before his trilogy with Tyson Fury, “The Bronze Bomber” had a staggering record of 40 wins, 39 of which came by stoppage.
However, he has emerged as a different fighter in recent years, looking timid in back-to-back losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang on Riyadh Season shows.
He last appeared on the field in June 2025, when he stopped Tyrrell Herndon in the seventh round.
Miller continued and talked about the skills Chisora possesses that could lead him to a huge victory in what he promises will be the last fight of his career.
“Chisora is one of those guys who is so sturdy.
“He is very powerful mentally. He has a physically fit engine.
“He may look tired, but he can still fight. Deontay I can’t fight tired, not like this Chisora yes.
“So I think Chisora is in it. The best man wins, but I think Chisora will get him.”
Chisora is on a three-fight winning streak following his loss to Tyson Fury in 2022.
He went the distance in all three contests, scoring unanimous victories over Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin in the final stoppage.
The post Jarrell Miller Boldly Predicts Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
On Sunday, Jai Opetaia will make his Zuffa Boxing debut in a fight against Brandon Glanton.
Opetaia enters the fight against Glanton undefeated.
Since turning professional in 2015, the Australian has dominated with 23 stoppage victories.
His last three fights have been in his native Australia, all three of them competitions ending before the start of the ninth round.
The Australian defeated former unified cruiserweight world champion Mairis Briedis in 2022.
Opetaia really made his mark on the world stage with a series of victories on the season’s card in Riyad, including victories over Ellis Zorro, Briedis in the return and Jack Massey, whose team were forced to throw in the towel.
His name has also made headlines after recently signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing after years of working with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing.
Opetaia currently holds the IBF and Ring Magazine world cruiserweight titles.
Despite holding the IBF belt, he will not be on the line with Glanton as the pair will instead fight for the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight crown.
Glanton comes into the competition off the back of a massive win over Marcus Browne last year in Lagos, Nigeria.
Before Browne’s victory, Glanton was outpointed by Chris Billam-Smith on the undercard of the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Opetaia vs Glanton – date, place, start time and ring walks
- The pair will fight on Sunday, March 8 at the Meta APEX Arena in Las Vegas.
- Undercard fights start at 18:00 local time (Polish time) / 21:00 ET / 12:00 AEST / 2:00 GMT.
- The main event ring walks are expected to take place at 21:00 local time (PT), 12:00 ET, 05:00 GMT and 15:00 AEST.
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Opetaia vs. Glanton – how to watch
- Zuffa Boxing 04 will air on Paramount plus.
- Paramount+ subscription can be purchased from just £4.99 per month.
- You can also pre-pay for an annual subscription from £43.99 per year.
Opetaia vs. Glanton – last three fights
Obadiah
- Jai Opetaia bt Huseyin Cinkara – KO in the 8th round
- Jai Opetaia bt Claudio Squeo – KO in the 5th round
- Jai Opetaia bt David Nyika – KO in the 4th round
Glanton
- Brandon Glanton bt Marcus Browne – 6th round RTD
- Brandon Glanton lt Chris Billam-Smith – Unanimous decision
- Brandon Glanton bt Aleksei Egorov – KO in the 11th round
What the future holds @JaiOpetaia1?
“Undisputed.”
The inaugural Zuffa Boxing World Cruiserweight Boxing Championships are this Sunday! Watch LIVE MARCH 8 @ParamountPlus! #ZuffaBoxing04 pic.twitter.com/NurGYsEV4N
— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) March 2, 2026
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- Vlad Panin (23-2-0) vs. Shinard Bunch (22-3-1) – welterweight
- Adan Palma (14-0-0) vs. Pablo Rubio Jr (14-0-0) – featherweight
- Joshua Jay Juarez (14-0-0) vs. Jardae Anderson (11-1-0) – heavyweight
- Brady Ochoa (9-0-0) vs. Adrian Miguel Serrano (6-0-1) – lightweight
- Jaycob Ramos (4-1-0) vs Ethan Perez (8-0-0) – featherweight
- Emiliano Alvarado (10-0-0) vs Erick Rosado (16-4-0) – featherweight
The post Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton – how to watch it appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Emanuel Navarrete became the unified super featherweight champion, adding the IBF title to his WBO belt by defeating Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in the penultimate round on Saturday at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The heavy-hitting Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KO) was previously the WBO champion in three different weight classes, but he failed to claim the WBO lightweight title and belt in a fourth different weight class after losing a split decision to Denys Berinchyk. Nunez (29-2, 27 KO) had to go out of shape in the seventh round before claiming a wide points victory in his first defense against Christopher Diaz.
Nunez started by using his boxing skills rather than his trade, and used the move to cause his compatriot to miss in the first round.
Navarrete quickly adjusted, closing the gap with a powerful punch to end the streak of a wobbly Nunez delayed in the round.
Most expected “Sugar” to shoot, but he preferred boxing and worked his jab in the fourth round.
The 28-year-old then decided to change it in the fifth set and fought with fire, and in the sixth, Navarrete landed some great body shots and a powerful right hand.
Nunez gradually got into an argument, but had to take bulky fire from his opponent and bravely performed well in the eighth quarter, reducing the advantage and moving to the body.
“Vaquero” followed with a great left hand in the ninth and a powerful right followed by an uppercut that left Nunez at sea, eyes closed due to injuries.
The Sinaloa resident was re-attached to the left hook as the writing appeared on the wall.
Nunez now wilted under the pressure, and after a punishing 10th place his promoter Eddie Hearn he pleaded for the fight to be stopped and a ringside doctor was called to check his eye.
He recommended that the competition be stopped and the fight ended, crowning Navarrete the unified champion.
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Vargas stops Quintana
On the card, Emiliano Vargas defended his WBO Latino and NABF super lightweight titles, forcing Argentine Agustin Ezequiel Quintana to retire after nine rounds of the fight.
Quintana (22-3-1, 13 KO) gave Vargas (17-0, 14 KO) all he could handle, but was cut down in both eyes, with referee Raul Caiz Jr waving his hand against the fight, much to the Argentine’s protests.
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Smalls defeated by Ramos
Tahmir Smalls suffered his first defeat as a professional, losing a split decision to Abel Ramos in their welterweight meeting.
Ramos (29-7-3, 22 KO) earned a deserved victory by scores of 98-92 and 97-93, while the third judge awarded Smalls (16-1, 11 KO) a barely deserved nod 96-94.
Undercard remaining
WBC Continental Americas super bantamweight champion Arturo Cardenas (17-0-2, 9 KO) defended his title, but after ten rounds he drew with Jordan Martinez, who also remained undefeated.
Martinez (16-0-1, 15 KO) received a verdict of 98-92, Cardenas had one score of 96-94 and the third judge ruled it a draw 95-95.
The only fighter to go eight rounds won the super lightweight division, where Trini Ochoa (21-1, 9 KO) was upset by Oscar Alvarez Guerrero.
Guerrero (15-2, 12 KO) secured a comfortable winner with two scores of 78-74 and the third 79-73.
In six-round fights, Hector Beltran (7-0, 5 KO) fought all six sessions against Cesar Diaz (10-2, 5 KO) at super welterweight, and in the bantamweight division, Phillip Vela (5-0, 2 KO) did the same against Brayan Ramos Armenta (8-8-1, 2 KO).
Rahman Muhammad (2-0, 2 KO) defeated Mitchell McFadden (1-1, 1 KO) in the second round in a four-round welterweight fight.
The post Emanuel Navarrete vs Eduardo Nunez – results and post-fight report appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
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