Kelly had his best moments in the early and mid rounds. He worked around Murtazaliyev, leading him to left hooks and short counters, and often landed clean punches in close rounds. His movement frustrated the champion and helped steal a bout that otherwise lacked significant separation.

Murtazaliyev’s strongest arguments came from force and destruction. He landed the heavier shots throughout the fight and knocked Kelly down with a left hook, a moment that briefly changed the fight and raised questions about how to read the bout. He continued the pressure late on, backing up Kelly and finishing off a few overs on the front foot.

That tension runs through the scorecard. One referee even thought the score was 113-113. The other two sided with Kelly, and the scores were 114-113 and 115-111 respectively. The score difference reflects the difficulty of the scoring struggle rather than the pair’s sense of control.

Kelly improved his record to 18 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, and won his first world championship. It was a disciplined, gritty performance, especially considering he was knocked down and faced constant pressure. At the same time, the results are subject to debate. Murtazaliyev’s powerful groundstrokes and late work made the rounds difficult to ignore, while Kelly’s wider cards immediately attracted attention.

After only one successful defense, Murtazaliyev dropped to 23-1 and lost the IBF belt. He remained aggressive and persistent throughout, with little sign of a noticeable gap between the two in the fight.

Kelly celebrated with the home fans on a night that would go down as the biggest win of his career. Whether the superiority issue between the two fighters can be resolved is another matter entirely.