After Beating Murtazaliev, Kelly Turns Attention to Benn

Josh Kelly earned his belt the hard way, and that matters when looking at what he’s chosen to focus on since.

Kelly pulled off a genuine upset to win the IBF junior middleweight title, outboxing and outlasting the heavily favoured Bakhram Murtazaliev in Newcastle. He dropped the division’s most feared pressure fighter in the fourth round, absorbed a knockdown himself in the ninth, and held things together well enough to secure a majority decision. It was a disciplined performance against a fighter many had avoided, and it changed how Kelly is viewed at 154.

The fight itself was tense and uneven, but it was also purposeful. Kelly relied on movement, timing, and control to take away Murtazaliev’s strengths. It wasn’t pretty for long stretches, yet it was effective. By the final bell, Kelly had done enough to justify the scores and walk away with the title. What followed has been more revealing than the fight.

Rather than talking up the other contenders waiting in the division, Kelly’s attention quickly turned toward Conor Benn. Benn is a familiar name and a proven draw, but he isn’t a junior middleweight and has already indicated that his plans involve a return to 147. The appeal of the matchup is obvious, and it has little to do with settling the pecking order at 154.

That shift stands out because Kelly has framed himself as someone unimpressed by fighters who chase visibility over substance. Yet Benn represents exactly that kind of opportunity: a big stage, a sellable narrative, and a lower degree of divisional risk than the established threats Kelly now sits above as champion.

After beating Murtazaliev, Kelly has options he didn’t have before. He can use the belt to test himself against the rest of the division and remove any remaining doubts about where he belongs. He can also use it to secure the biggest event available while the spotlight is bright.

There’s nothing unusual about choosing the latter. Boxing has always rewarded timing and leverage. The disconnect comes when that choice is presented as something else. A stadium fight against a natural welterweight may make financial sense, but it doesn’t advance the division or answer questions raised by Kelly’s title win.

Kelly earned respect by stepping in with Murtazaliev. The next defence will show whether that fight was the start of a serious run at 154 or simply the moment that opened the door to a more comfortable path.