Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) will be making the second defence of his IBF 154-pound belt when the two fight over 12 rounds at the Newcastle Arena in England. The action will be streamed exclusively on DAZN with coverage starting at 7pm GMT.

The champion came in well under the limit at 152.2 pounds whilst Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) weighed 153.65 pounds for the first world title fight of his near nine year long career.

Murtazaliev, 33, has been ignored and avoided since he stopped Tim Tszyu inside three rounds in October of 2024. The Ring’s fifth-ranked junior middleweight will be keen to produce another devastating performance and put himself squarely in the mix for a fight with one of the junior middleweight division’s biggest names.

Sunderland native, Kelly, has reeled off seven victories since he was stopped by David Avanesyan in the sixth round of a fight for the European welterweight title in 2021 but the California-based Russian represents a major step up in opposition for the slick 31-year-old.

All of the fighters on the televised card made weight.