When Bakhram Murtazaliev stopped Jack Culcay to win the vacant IBF junior middleweight title in April 2024, the California-based Russian must have thought his days of being ignored and avoided were over.

Things began well when six months later, he stopped former WBO titleholder Tim Tszyu three rounds into their title fight. The exciting win should have opened the door to some major fights, but despite his best efforts he's been unable to get any leading lights into the ring.

Instead, Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) travels to Newcastle, United Kingdom, to make his second title defense against Josh Kelly, and The Ring's No. 4 junior middleweight will be keen to put in the type of performance making him hard to ignore.

More than eight years since he turned professional, Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, finally gets a world championship shot.

In 2021, he challenged the formidable David Avanesyan for the European welterweight title. He started well but faded quickly and was stopped on his feet in the sixth round.

Since then, the Sunderland-born Kelly has won seven straight without troubling world level with a December 2022 win over then-British 154-pound champion Troy Williamson the highlight.

The hard-hitting Murtazaliev, 33, represents a significant step up in class from the opposition he has been fighting, but Kelly, 31, will believe he is much more prepared to deal with the threat than when he faced Avanesyan.

Odds: Murtazaliev is a solid favorite to retain his title and is priced at 3/10 with most UK bookmakers. Kelly is seen as a live underdog, however. He is available at around 5-2.

Oddsmakers see a Murtazaliev stoppage as the most likely outcome, offering around 8/11 for him to record an inside-the-distance victory.

How does Murtazaliev win? Kelly is a skillful fighter. His fast hands and feet should bring him some early eye-catching success. Murtazaliev hasn't boxed a southpaw since blowing away Bruno Romay in 2018, and Kelly's movement, coupled with his own inactivity, may pose him some early problems.

Murtazaliev should be prepared to fall short, miss the target and get tagged by accurate counter shots. He will need to remain calm, composed and avoid over committing to his punches.

If Murtazaliev can cut off Kelly's escape routes, hit the body and stay consistent, he should begin to reap some dividends by the midway point. Once Kelly begins to slow, expect Murtazaliev to ramp up the pressure.

How does Kelly win? Although there is always the possibility of clipping an aggressive fighter with a well-timed shot as he presses forward, in all likelihood Kelly will need to tick off the rounds, one by one.

During the early stages of the fight in particular, Kelly may be able to outbox Murtazaliev but, at some point, it is inevitable the Russian will get close. When he does, Kelly can't allow him to stay there. Kelly will struggle if Murtazaliev is able to set up camp at mid-range.

It goes without saying that Kelly will need to be extremely fit and resilient but also be ultra disciplined, remaining totally focused for every second of the fight.

He should have learned plenty from the rounds he shared with Avanesyan, but putting those lessons into practice under live fire is a different matter.

What it means if Murtazaliev wins: Murtazaliev will be hopeful of securing a three-title unification fight with the winner of the fight between WBO titleholder Xander Zayas and WBA champion Abass Baraou or a major fight against former Ring and unified welterweight titlist Jaron 'Boots' Ennis.

Beating Kelly in dominant fashion would secure Murtazaliev's position as one of the division's most dangerous fighters but may also prevent his rivals from accepting a fight with him until the reward is worth the risk.

He will hope that his exciting, relentless style eventually makes him unavoidable.

What it means if Kelly wins: A win over Murtazaliev would not only be by far the biggest of Kelly's career, it would make genuine waves on the world scene.

By beating the junior middleweight division's bogeyman, Kelly would make himself a major player and a legitimate threat among other big names in the weight class. His promoter Eddie Hearn has already indicated that he could move directly into a fight with Ennis.

If he can find a way to utilise his natural skill and ability against a fighter of Murtazaliev's calibre, his confidence will soar and we may see the very best of 'The Pretty Boy'.

What they're saying: "I think a lot of people are really, really underrating me. People haven’t seen my full potential yet, but [they’re] underrating how good I am. I'm gonna show you, Bakhram and gonna show everyone else." - Josh Kelly

TV/Stream: Murtazaliev-Kelly will stream exclusively live on DAZN at 7pm GMT/2pm EST.