The roof will come off the Utilita Arena in Newcastle when local fighter, Josh Kelly, enters the ring for his top-of-the-bill clash against Bakhram Murtazaliev this Saturday (January 31). Kelly will need to draw on that fervent support as he attempts to dethrone the IBF world super welterweight king and, in doing so, become the first fighter to beat the Russian, who now hails from Newbury Park, California.
It's been 15 months since we last saw Murtazaliev in action. The fearsome puncher made a successful first defence of his IBF belt by stopping Tim Tszyu inside three rounds in Orlando, Florida (October 2024). He had captured the title six months earlier, when KO’ing Jack Culcay in Germany. Having been away from the ring for so long, Murtazaliev will be keen to get back in the groove and put on a good performance in front of a hostile crowd.
This may be a huge step-up for Josh Kelly, a former British champion, but he knows it will propel his career forward immensely if he can pull off the shock win on his home patch. The one blemish on Kelly’s record came back in February 2021 when he was stopped in the 6th round by David Avanesyan during their European welterweight title fight. However, ‘Pretty Boy’ bounced back well from that setback and has gone on a 7-fight win streak since then.
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Josh Kelly will have fond memories of recent bouts in his native North East. He knocked out Placido Ramirez in the 3rd round at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland in December 2023. He also wasted no time in his latest ring encounter at the Utiltia Arena last summer, dispatching Flavius Biea with a left hook after just two minutes of the opening round.
Elsewhere on the card, Elif Nur Turhan is making her Matchroom Boxing debut and defending her IBF world lightweight title for the first time, too. The unbeaten Turkish star looks to go 13-0 against Australia's Taylah Gentzen. Josh Padley, who bravely fought WBC lightweight king Shakur Stevenson at very late notice in Riyadh last February, features in another title bout at the Utilita Arena. He’ll be aiming for European glory when he takes on Jaouad Belmehdi for the vacant EBU super featherweight crown.
Let GOAL give you all the vital information you need ahead of the IBF world super welterweight clash in Newcastle, including details of the fight card and how you can watch and stream all the live action.
When is Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly?
| Date | Saturday, January 31 |
| Location | Utilita Arena, Newcastle, United Kingdom |
| Time | The DAZN show starts at 6 pm GMT / 1 pm ET |
| Main event ring walks (approx) | 10pm GMT / 5pm ET |
The Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly card will be staged at the Utilita Arena (aka the Newcastle Arena), which is a multi-use indoor arena in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Many prominent British boxers have fought at the Utilita Arena since it first opened in 1995, including Nigel Benn, Prince Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Anthony Joshua. This will be the third time that Josh Kelly has headlined at the Newcastle venue, after knocking out Flavius Biea in round 1 (June 2025) and beating Troy Williamson on points (December 2022) to claim the British super welterweight title there.
As well as boxing, a multitude of other sports have been held there, including basketball, ice hockey and MMA. It's staged one of the Premier League Darts nights since 2007 and the 2026 season gets underway there next Thursday (February 5).
Earlier this month, venue management company Legends Global confirmed plans to significantly invest in the arena as part of a broader investment programme across several major UK arenas. As well as modernising the arena, the overall capacity will also be increased by 20%.
🌍 How to watch or stream Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly worldwide
Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly and the whole fight card is live on DAZN worldwide via a DAZN subscription. If you are not currently a DAZN member, then monthly and annual subscription options are available.
An Annual Super Saver subscription is a one-off payment of £119.99 / $224.99 for 12-month access (£15.99 / $20.99 per month if paying in monthly instalments).
A Monthly Flexible pass, which can be cancelled at any time, is £25.99 / $30.99 per month.
DAZN also offer an Ultimate Tier subscription package, which includes a minimum of 12 PPVs a year, on top of the regular 185 fight nights offering. The ‘UT’ package is 24.99 per month (or £249.99/year) for UK customers, and for US viewers, it’s $44.99/month (or $449.99/year).
You can watch the fight via the DAZN App, available on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles and web browsers.
🛜 Watch Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly from anywhere with a VPN
If Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection that lets you bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly Fight Card
| Weight class | Fight |
|---|---|
| Super welterweight (IBF world title) | Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly |
| Super featherweight (European title) | Josh Padley vs Jaouad Belmehdi |
| Women’s lightweight (IBF world title) | Elif Nur Turhan vs Taylah Gentzen |
| Lightweight | Josh Blenkiron vs Robbie Colman |
| Heavyweight | Leo Atang vs Amine Boucetta |
| Cruiserweight | Bradley Casey vs Lee Roberts |
Bakhram Murtazaliev professional boxing stats
- Age: 32
- Height: 6' 0" / 183 cm
- Reach: 72" / 183 cm
- Total fights: 23
- Record: 23-0-0
- % wins by KO/TKO: 74
Josh Kelly professional boxing stats
- Age: 31
- Height: 5' 10" / 178 cm
- Reach: 72" / 183 cm
- Total fights: 19
- Record: 17-1-1
- % wins by KO/TKO: 53