David Avanesyan vs Josh Kelly
Russia’s European Welterweight Champion Avanesyan (26-3-1, 14 KOs) makes his long-awaited Title defence against Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) at the top of the bill on February 20, Liverpool Super-Welterweight Anthony Fowler (13-1, 10 KOs) returns against Spain’s Jorge Fortea (21-2-1, 7 KOs), undefeated Wel
- David Avanesyan
- Josh Kelly
Date: 2021-02-20
Location: SSE Arena, Wembley, London, United Kingdom
Status: Upcoming
Result: Britain's Josh Kelly suffered the first defeat of his professional career as Russian David Avanesyan defended his European welterweight title. The fight, postponed three times from its original 2018 date, produced some frenetic action at Wembley Arena. Kelly, 26, with 10 wins and a draw previously, shook his 32-year-old opponent with a left hook in round two. But Avanesyan cut Kelly's eye in the same round and constant pressure saw the towel thrown in during round six. Both men were fighting for the first time since December 2019 and, after Kelly's impressive start, the shorter Avanesyan began to exert control. Kelly was given a standing count in the sixth and, as the combinations to the body and head from Avanesyan continued, the Sunderland boxer's team spared their bloodied man from further punishment.