When is Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly?Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly is on Saturday, January 31. The broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. GMT). What channel is Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly on?Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly will stream on DAZN.Where is Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly?The fight is taking place at Utilita Arena Newcastle in Newcastle, England.Who is Bakhram Murtazaliev?Bakhram Murtazaliev, 23-0 (17 KOs), is the IBF junior middleweight titleholder. He had a fantastic 2024 that was seemingly squandered in 2025. He’s hoping to get his career back in gear in 2026.Murtazaliev is a 33-year-old from Russia who lives near Los Angeles, California. In April 2024, he traveled to Germany and knocked out Jack Culcay in the 11th round to capture the vacant IBF belt. That made him a desirable opponent for Tim Tszyu, who was returning from losing his world title to Sebastian Fundora and wanted to jump straight back in.Murtazaliev took Tszyu into the deep end and wouldn’t let him float. In the main event of an October 2024 show on Amazon’s Prime Video, Murtazaliev dropped Tszyu four times and scored a stunning third-round TKO.Murtazaliev hasn’t been seen since.Yes, he was recovering from a hand injury suffered in sparring before the Tszyu bout. But he was back in the gym as of last January. Whether Murtazaliev is the boogeyman at 154lbs, or if his inactivity is the product of being with a promoter (Main Events) that doesn’t have a network contract, he didn’t fight at all last year. It didn’t help that Erickson Lubin had been in line for a shot at Murtazaliev but ultimately pulled out of the purse bid process in order to face Vergil Ortiz Jnr instead.There continues to be plenty of interest in his weight class. On the same day that Murtazaliev defends against Josh Kelly, there will be a unification bout between Abass Baraou (WBA) and Xander Zayas (WBO). As for Sebastian Fundora (WBC), he will likely face Keith Thurman next. Boxing continues to wait to see whether Ortiz and Jaron “Boots” Ennis will be able to reach a deal.The winner of Murtazaliev vs. Kelly will also owe a fight to the victor of an elimination bout this April between Brandon Adams and Caoimhin Agyarko.Who is Josh Kelly?Josh Kelly, 17-1-1 (9 KOs), is a 31-year-old junior middleweight from Sunderland, England, who is ranked third by the IBF – the two spots above him are vacant – and first…
2026-01-28 07:00:00
How to Watch: Bakhram Murtazaliev-Josh Kelly
