Josh Kelly is back and, weight for it, he is still a WELTER.
The undefeated Sunderland star will defend his WBA International welterweight title against Poland’s undefeated Przemyslaw Runowski in London on Saturday, April 20.
And ‘Pretty Boy’ could not be happier as he re-starts the bandwagon which stalled in Sheffield back in December.
Kelly had been due to defends his WBA belt for the second time, against former world champion David Avanesyan, only to be forced to pull out at the 11th hour after taking ill.
It led to Avanesyan’s manager, the normally mild-mannered Neil Marsh, labeling Kelly plus his coach and guiding light, Adam Booth, as “complete bottle jobs”.
Since then there have been claims/ whispers, call them what you will, that Kelly would move up a division – rumours emphatically denied by Booth.
And the trainer clearly is a man of his word after Matchroom today announced Kelly would defend against Runowski at the O2 on a packed card. The Wearsider is thrilled to have the 17-0 Pole put in front of him.
“Runowski’s a solid opponent, unbeaten for a reason,” said Kelly.
“They breed them tough in Eastern Europe but I’m ready to dismantle him and put on a show for everyone in the crowd and watching at home. “
Kelly, who became a dad last year, his partner giving birth to Josh Jnr, clearly has not lost his fighting edge and he has the bit between his teeth for this capital date.
“It excites me every time I step through the ropes,” said the 25-year-old.
“This year is going to be massive if everything goes to plan. I’ve got to keep my feet firmly on the ground, continue to work and get the results.”
Kelly has passed every test thus far in building an 8-0 record.
He won his World Boxing Association belt against Mexican tough-guy Carlos Molina on the Anthony Joshua-Carlos Takem undercard in Cardiff, and defended it successfully against Kris George last June in Newcastle, where he added the Commonwealth title to his collection.
A win over ex-world champion Avanesyan would have raised the stakes but this match against the Pole is not a bad one.
The 24-year-old, from Damnica, is more than just a cracking score in Scrabble, reeling off 17 straight victories, including two World Boxing Council Youth belts.
There are two heavyweight matches at the top of the bill.
Doncaster’s Dave Allen faces the biggest night of his career when he takes on former WBA world champion Lucas Browne while Londoner Derek Chisora returns to the ring against Senad Gashi after his cracker with Dillian Whyte in December.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
