By Charles Brun: David Avanesyan weighed in at 146-4 pounds on Friday for the title defense of his EBU welterweight crown against challenger Josh Kelly on Saturday evening at the Wembley Arena in London, England. DAZN will stream the fight in the US (click here).
The bulked-up Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) weighed at 146-lbs and appeared motivated.
Kelly, 26, looks like he’s taken up a Charles Atlas program that has transformed his physique. The way Kelly’s physique looks now is nothing like the last time he fought against Wiston Campos fourteen months ago, in December 2019.
We’ll soon see if Kelly’s change of his physique will result in greater punching power on Saturday night. Kelly’s past problems had nothing to do with his power but rather his bad habit of showboating.
Kelly predicting a knockout
“Feeling really good, on point. Of course, I’m comfortable,” said Kelly to Sky Sport Boxing about his fight against Avanesyan.
“The difference to how I was then and now, you can just see,” said Kelly about his body transformation since last year. “I’ve done everything right and there’s no stone been unturned.
“I know I’ll be the one that walks away with the European title. I’ve been down in the weight for a while, and it’s the best I’ve ever done the weight. come Saturday, I just got to enjoy it and let everything flow.
“Don’t think, just do. 100%,” said Kelly when asked if he still believes he’ll KO Avanesyan. “If it goes points, then it goes points. I’m winning either way and I think a big stoppage is coming,” said Kelly.
A loss for Kelly will likely result in his promoter Eddie Hearn setting up a rematch with Avanesyan for the summer. Hearn probably won’t let Avanesyan walk away without pushing for a rematch, possibly on the Josh Warrington vs. Mauricio Lara II card undercard in the summer.
Will Kelly get a rematch if he loses?
It’s unclear whether Hearn put in a rematch clause for the Avanesyan – Kelly fight. Given that Kelly is the challenger, I don’t know how Hearn could have a rematch deal, but you never know.
What’s certain is that Hearn makes sure that he exhausts every avenue in getting a second fight between Kelly and Avanesyan if things go badly for Josh. It would be too big of a bitter pill for Kelly to swallow if he’s knocked out by Avanesyan.
There are some defeats where a fighter isn’t tarnished and can continue their career without rematching. But if you lose by a knockout, it’s a must to get a rematch, especially when you’re the A-side as the challenger.
Josh fights with his hands down by his sides and enjoying backing up against the ropes to try and dodge punches. If Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth hasn’t fixed those problems with the mental side of his game, Avanesyan (26-3-1, 14 KOs) could knock him out.
Unfortunately, Kelly might get stopped anyway by Avanesyan, no matter how well he fights, because he’s a big puncher.
Avanesyan is a body puncher, and all the head and upper body movement that Kelly likes to use won’t keep him from getting hit in the breadbasket repeatedly.
The winner of the Avanesyan vs. Kelly fight could face Conor Benn later this year. That’s a fight that Hearn is interested in putting together for Kelly should he win, but it’s unclear whether he’ll offer the same match to Avanesyan. He might be a little too polished for Harn to allow him to fight the raw Benn.
There are better fights out there for the Avanesyan vs. Kelly fight winner than Benn, but he’s at least a winnable opponent. The guys that Hearn should be targeting for Kelly vs. Avaneysan winner are fighters like Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, or Danny Garcia.