You might not bet your house on it, or even your back yard, but it looks as if Josh Kelly v David Avanesyan is finally going to happen. Or David Avanesyan v Josh Kelly if you like to see a champion’s name listed first?
Whatever your preference, it’s ON with the date set for Saturday, February 20, perhaps wisely a post-Valentine’s affair given there is little love lost between the two sides.
It had been due for Saturday, January 30, at a venue to be arranged, only for the British Boxing Board of Control to suspend shows following the dramatic growth in Covid cases in the early days and weeks of 2021.
But Eddie Hearn has announced their winter and spring schedule following the BBBC’s confirmation earlier this week that boxing tournaments under its jurisdiction will resume in the middle of February.
Matchroom wasted no time in announcing not just one or two of their events but FIVE nights spread over a two-month period, all live on Sky Sports.
IBF world featherweight king, Josh Warrington, is first out of the blocks on Saturday, February 13, when the Leeds hero faces Mexico’s Mauricio Lara, a week before Sunderland’s Josh tackles former world title holder Avanesyan for the Russian’s European welterweight belt.
It looks an incredible fight on paper and, sadly, that’s the only place it’s been thus far.
Kelly was to defend his WBA International title in December 18 against the Nottinghamshire-based fighter (pictured above in Sheffield), only for Josh to be KO’d by illness while Covid has put a halt to the March 28 date at the O2 last year and then the re-scheduled event on January 30.
Ava (beaten only three times in 30 contests) is making the third defence of the EBU strap with unbeaten ‘Pretty Boy’ (10-0-1) attempting to become Sunderland’s first European champion in 23 years.
The city has not had one of those since the great Billy Hardy outpointed Mehdi Labdouni for the featherweight title back in 1998 at the York Hall.
Given the talk of a domestic welterweight confrontation for Kelly with Conor Benn it is interesting that ‘The Destroyer’ is headlining the fifth Matchroom show of 2021, when he defends his WBA Continental title against Samuel Vargas, following his career-best win over Germany’s Sebastian Formella.
Hearn loves to promote a spicy British bust-up, just look at the success of the Lewis Ritson-Robbie Davies Jnr scrap in Newcastle, and this would be no different.
Adam Smith, Sky Sports’ Head of Boxing Development said: “We’ve followed Josh Kelly’s exciting career since the very start.
“But now he faces a real acid test in the form of Avanesyan, a dangerous puncher, who has big ambitions of his own.
“Conor Benn will be watching his British rival closely, having called for a big domestic clash later in the year.
“But before that, PBK must produce a dazzling performance in a crucial European title clash.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
