FROM NEWCASTLE TO NEW YORK: FIVE WORLD TITLE FIGHTS OVER TWO ACTION-PACKED SHOWS
The world title action continues this weekend with not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE world title fights across two cards.
Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez go toe-to-toe in a battle of the New Yorkers, whilst former Olympian Josh Kelly looks to become world champion at the first attempt against the hard-hitting Bakhram Murtazaliev — and that’s where we will start.
Murtazaliev vs Kelly
Josh Kelly
After turning professional back in 2017, Kelly was highly regarded as one of the top prospects in world boxing, and he started to live up to that potential before a surprise defeat to former world title challenger David Avanesyan.
Since that defeat back in 2021, he’s unbeaten in seven, with standout victories over the likes of Ishmael Davis and the newly crowned British 168lbs champion, Troy Williamson.
Bakhram Murtazaliev
A fighter who has gone under the radar far more than Kelly, Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev has taken the 154lbs division by storm in the last couple of years.
He made light work of Jack Culcay to win the IBF World Super-Welterweight Title, before overpowering the highly rated Tim Tszyu inside three rounds back in October 2024.
He sat out 2025 for unknown reasons, and now looks to make a successful second defence of his world title on foreign soil against Kelly.
Where the Fight Will Be Won and Lost
This really is a classic puncher vs boxer match-up. From Murtazaliev’s 23 career victories to date, 17 of those haven’t seen the final bell, whilst Kelly has a much bigger reputation for his technical ability.
For the defending champion, the blueprint is there to beat Kelly, as we saw in the Avanesyan fight. He needs to start quickly, upset the Brit’s rhythm and make him respect his power.
He’s going to need to target the body early doors and limit Kelly’s footwork, because if Kelly has success manoeuvring around the ring, it could be a long night for the Russian.
For Kelly, it’s simple: he needs to box for 12 rounds. Murtazaliev will start fast, so he’s going to need to weather the early storm. The Russian has a two-inch reach advantage, so Kelly will need to counteract that with superior hand speed and footwork.
We’ve never really seen Murtazaliev tested mentally, but if there is one man whose style can frustrate him, it’s Kelly.
Both men have been relatively inactive over the past two years, with both fighters combined only boxing a total of 27 rounds between them, so it will come down to who can find their flow first.
If Kelly can stay switched on like he did against Troy Williamson for 12 rounds, it’s going to be hard for Murtazaliev to put a dent in him. However, he’s world champion for a reason, and despite now being 33 years old, we probably still haven’t seen the best of him.
Fight to Watch Out for on the Undercard
The undercard fight we’ll be keeping a close eye on is the Northern Area Lightweight Title contest between Josh Blenkiron and Robbie Colman.
Both undefeated with seven victories to their names, they’ve only picked up one stoppage win between them in 15 fights.
When two fighters lack destructive power, it often makes for all-out wars, especially with a domestic title on the line like there is here.
Both lads are local to Newcastle, so both will have shifted a good amount of tickets. They will want to send their loyal support home happy and earn the bragging rights — so expect fireworks in this one.
Fighter to Watch Out for on the Undercard
With the likes of Leo Atang, Brad Casey, Lee Rogers and Kiaran MacDonald on the undercard, you’d think it would be hard to pick just one fighter to watch.
It wasn’t.
Elif Nur Turhan.
Three words that send shivers down the spine of any female boxer hovering around lightweight at the moment.
She burst onto the scene by obliterating the highly rated Shauna Browne inside a round last year, before another stoppage win over Riya Ayadi in August took her record to 11-0 with seven stoppages.
This form earned her a world title shot against Olympic medallist and reigning IBF world champion Beatriz Ferreira. In a fight many believed she would be found out in, Nur Turhan shocked the world by securing a fifth-round stoppage.
She did to Ferreira that day what no one had ever done before, and made her look like a little girl inside the ring.
With retirement looming for Taylor and Serrano, the Turk looks set to be a breath of fresh air for women’s boxing. Every single shot she throws is loaded with bad intentions. Some people would call it reckless — we just call it box office.
This weekend she makes the first defence of her world title against Taylah Gentzen.
The best advice we can give for this fight is simple: do not blink.
Lopez vs Stevenson
Teofimo Lopez
Now across the pond to New York, where it’s a battle for super-lightweight honours between two of the best pound-for-pound stars on the planet.
A Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, Teofimo Lopez transitioned to the pros impressively with 16 wins from his first 16 contests, with 12 of those coming by way of stoppage — including a victory over the legendary Vasyl Lomachenko.
He suffered a shock defeat to George Kambosos when defending his IBF and WBO World Lightweight Titles back in 2020, but since then he has been faultless, with six straight victories and becoming a two-weight world champion in the process.
Shakur Stevenson
An Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016, the talented southpaw Shakur Stevenson has been a revelation so far in his professional career.
24-0, a three-weight world champion, and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet right now, this young man may well be a generational talent.
Mentored by the recently retired Terence Crawford, you can see many similarities between the pair.
He picked up the best win of his career in his last fight back in July 2025 against the hard-hitting William Zepeda.
Stevenson mixed his style beautifully in that fight. At times he boxed and moved, and at times he sat in the pocket and beat the Mexican at his own game. It was a masterclass.
Off the back of that victory, he comes into this fight with Lopez in arguably the best form of his career so far.
Where the Fight Will Be Won and Lost
When it comes to 50/50 fights, this one is right up there as one of the most evenly matched contests in recent times.
For Lopez, his main advantages lie in his power and size. He’s now an established 140lber, having stepped up after his defeat to Kambosos. He’s got a broad frame, an enormous back, and looks like someone who could easily mix it at welterweight or even super-welterweight.
Despite now being at super-lightweight, this is only the third weight division in less than four years in which Stevenson has fought for a world title. Up against a man naturally bigger, it makes the task even harder.
For Stevenson, it’s all about speed and boxing IQ.
Kambosos showed there is a way to beat Lopez, and against quicker fighters, Lopez can struggle slightly. A good example — even though he won — was his fight with Sandor Martin.
A southpaw like Stevenson, Martin frustrated Lopez and outboxed him for long spells, and many believe he was unfortunate not to get the decision. Stevenson will know this and will look to exploit it.
He showed against Zepeda that he’s not afraid to mix it on the inside, and he also proved he’s got one heck of a chin. Going off past performances, you’d think there are more ways for Stevenson to win this fight than there are for Lopez.
Lopez is 4-0 with one stoppage against southpaws, so the general consensus is that this fight will go long and may come down to who adapts better.
Don’t expect either fighter to dominate. Expect momentum to shift every round or two, but in the final quarter of the fight, one man may begin to pull away and leave nothing to chance on the scorecards.
Fight to Watch Out for on the Undercard
Look no further than the chief support bout between Carlos Adames and Ammo Williams for the WBC World Middleweight Title.
A fighter who doesn’t give you a moment to breathe, Adames picked up the world title back in June 2024 and retained it in a draw with the exciting Hamzah Sheeraz in February last year.
Williams, whose struggles outside the ring have been well documented, has bounced back from his defeat to Sheeraz in 2024 with three straight wins, including two stoppages.
Adames has fought at an average of once a year for the past four years, whilst Williams has fought an astonishing 11 times in that same period.
Activity is key in this sport, and with Williams starting to look like his old, confident and flamboyant self again, we could well see a new world champion crowned on Saturday night.
Fighter to Watch Out for on the Undercard
A fighter to watch out for on the card is the undefeated featherweight Bruce Carrington, who faces Carlos Castro for the vacant WBC World Featherweight Title.
With an amateur career consisting of nearly 300 fights and 255 victories, Carrington has transitioned to the professional ranks brilliantly, with 16 wins from his first 16 contests and nine stoppage victories.
Now 28, he’s entering his prime, and with victory here, don’t be surprised to see him call out the likes of Nick Ball to set up what would be a thrilling clash — assuming Ball gets past Brandon Figueroa next month.
Ring 6 | Jan 31st | Only on DAZN | Click HERE to buy now or get it FREE with a DAZN Ultimate Plan