Immediately after a swift victory against the clearly outmatched Flavius Biea, Josh Kelly of Sunderland wasted no time in challenging Conor Benn to a fight.
The super-welterweight contender maintained his impressive unbeaten record by securing a dominant first-round stoppage at the Newcastle Arena in England last night.
This convincing win stands in contrast to his previous bout in September, a majority decision over Ishmael Davis that many felt didn`t accurately reflect Kelly`s clear superiority in the ring.
However, on this occasion, `Pretty Boy` appeared determined to deliver a decisive and rapid finish, giving Biea absolutely no opportunity to settle into the fight or find his rhythm.
A trademark left hook from Kelly sent the Romanian fighter to the canvas, signaling an early end to the contest with plenty of time left in the opening round.
As expected, referee Reece Carter waved off the fight moments after Biea struggled back to his feet, resulting in a quick and impressive victory for Kelly, who now holds a record of 17-1-1 with 9 knockouts.
Before leaving the arena, the 31-year-old fighter explicitly stated his desire for what is likely the most financially appealing fight available to him.
“If it’s a big domestic fight, [I want] Benn,” he said in his post-fight interview. “If it’s not Benn, if he doesn’t want to take that fight, then it’ll be a big world title fight.” He added, highlighting his current position, “In every governing body I’m ranked number four or number three, two in some governing bodies. I’m there. I’ve been knocking on the door for some time. I’m in my prime now. Let me run, let me run.”
Since suffering his only career defeat to David Avanesyan in 2021, Kelly has steadily risen through the super-welterweight (154lbs) rankings and is now positioned highly, sitting right behind mandatory challenger Erickson Lubin in the IBF standings.
As a result, the stylish boxer could soon find himself challenging for the IBF world title against champion Bakhram Murtazaliev, a fighter widely regarded as one of the most dangerous opponents in the super-welterweight division.
