Josh Kelly tamed great boxer Bakhram Murtazaliev with his clever boxing to win the IBF junior middleweight world title by majority on Saturday.

The English boxer lifted his first world title belt with a shock score of 115-111, 114-113 and 113-113, much to the delight of the Newcastle crowd.

Kelly forced a count in round four when he caught Murtazaliev with a demanding jab to the counter, then was sent to the canvas himself with a left hook in round nine.

However, Kelly deserved the win as his sharp moves and quick punches prevented Murtazaliev from landing any demanding shots.

“If it wasn’t for the audience’s energy, I wouldn’t have gotten up at all,” Kelly later told DAZN.

“Beyond the ninth round, I was tranquil, frosty and collected. Whoever faces a substantial fight will be next.”

Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KO) told ESPN that he “doesn’t mind” boxing fighters like Murtazaliev, and he backed up those bold words with the best performance of his career in which his hand speed, skill and discipline frustrated the champion. Kelly attacked in brief, piercing bursts and then moved out of range, preventing Murtazaliev from responding.

After defeating one of the hazardous fighters at 154 pounds, Kelly now faces the winner of the fight between WBO champion Xander Zayas (22-0, 13 KO) and WBA titleholder Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 KO), who were scheduled to fight later in Puerto Rico on January 31.

Philadelphia’s Jaron “Boots” Ennis, a former welterweight world champion who is considered the No. 1 seed at 154 pounds, is another option for Kelly in his first title defense if a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. is not made.

Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KO) lost his belt in his second title defense after the Russian failed to consistently land immaculate punches due to Kelly’s deft footwork and piercing jab.

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Kelly, 31, from Sunderland, entered the ring on a seven-fight winning streak since being stopped by welterweight David Avanesyan in 2021.

Murtazaliev, 33, originally from Chechnya but living in Glendale, California, hasn’t boxed in 15 months since he dropped Tim Tszyu four times after three rounds, and that break may have made it arduous for him to land more punches.

Kelly, who is trained by Adam Booth in London, also had just two minutes on the pitch in 2025 but quickly appreciated the threat in front of him when Murtazaliev landed a right hand tardy in the first quarter. Kelly’s hand speed hampered Murtazaliev tardy in the second round as he broke through the Russian’s guard.

Kelly continued to find success in the third set with quick combinations before retreating out of range.

Kelly then stunned Murtazaliev on a counterattack, landing a jab that forced the unbalanced Russian into a brief touchdown and getting a count in round four. Murtazaliev shook his head and quickly recovered, but the speed of the punch knocked him off balance and left Kelly in front.

Murtazaliev followed Kelly around the ring in round five, but was caught again with a right hand on the counter just before the bell. Kelly seemed to be leading halfway through the match and skillfully avoided Murtazaliev’s blows in the seventh round.

Kelly troubled Murtazaliev in the eighth period when he landed a combination to the body and head with the challenger seemingly in control.

But Murtazaliev finally got there with a few immaculate punches in round nine, when he knocked Kelly to his knees with a left hook to the top of the head. Following the count, Kelly was caught again by the right rope but avoided another crunch.

Both had their moments in a lively 11th round, with Murtazaliev landing a substantial overhand early in the final round in an attempt to beat KO. Kelly unloaded with a flurry of punches as Murtazaliev was trapped in a corner and the challenger ended the fight celebrating before the results were announced.

At the bottom you can see that IBF women’s lightweight champion Elif Nur Turhan had a closer fight than the one she had with a split decision against Taylah Gentzen (8-2, 3 KO). The Turkish boxer won by a score of 98-92, 96-94 to 93-97 after landing more powerful punches than Gentzen.

Turhan (13-0, 8 KO) stopped her four previous opponents just two months ago, including Beatriz Ferreira in her previous fight.

Josh Padley cruised to a second-round victory over Jaouad Belmehdi to capture the vacant European junior lightweight title.

Padley (18-1, 6 KO), whom Shakur Stevenson stopped a year ago in the ninth round of his WBC lightweight title defense, knocked down Belmehdi with a left hook in the second and then applied pressure to force the stoppage.