Overview
- Kelly won by majority decision with scores of 115-111 and 114-113, with a third card of 113-113.
- He scored a knockdown in round four, was floored in round nine, and two late falls were ruled slips.
- The title fight took place on January 31 at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena and streamed worldwide on DAZN.
- Murtazaliev lost for the first time after a 15-month layoff and surrendered his IBF belt.
- On the undercard, Josh Padley stopped Jaouad Belmehdi in round two to capture the vacant European super-featherweight title, while media and promoters have floated Jaron Ennis and other top 154-pounders as potential first defenses for Kelly.