Former champion Bakhram Murtazaliev will return to the ring in October for a bout in Russia while awaiting his mandatory IBF title opportunity. The light-middleweight lost his belt to Josh Kelly in January and now needs a stay-busy fight.
Murtazaliev previously captured the IBF light-middleweight belt in impressive fashion, stopping Tim Tszyu in October 2024. But his title reign proved brief. In January, he traveled to British soil and dropped a tight majority decision to Kelly in his first defence.
Despite the setback, Murtazaliev retains his position as the IBF’s mandatory challenger. However, getting his rematch or a shot at the belt is far from straightforward due to the division’s sanctioning schedules.
The IBF granted Kelly permission to make an early mandatory defense against Caoimhin Agyarko. That decision pushed Murtazaliev back in the queue. To make matters more complicated for the challenger, Kelly is openly targeting a unification bout with WBA and WBO champion Jaron Ennis.
Should Kelly and Ennis meet, the winner could then aim for WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora in a bid to crown an undisputed 154-pound champion. Sanctioning bodies regularly allow lucrative unification matches to take precedence over standard mandatory obligations, leaving top contenders on the sidelines.
Rather than sitting idle during these division negotiations, Murtazaliev’s promotional team is putting together an autumn return.
Promoter Kathy Duva explained the situation to The Ring. She stated: “At this point, we are trying to arrange a fight for him in Russia for some time in October,” before outlining their prospective target. She added: “It’s against a solid, world-rated opponent that everybody is familiar with, if it’s the guy we’re hoping to get. Bakhram needs to stay active.”
Securing a win against a ranked contender in October will preserve Murtazaliev’s position in the division. Staying sharp remains crucial while Kelly and the other belt holders figure out the division’s top matchups. If Kelly moves on to bigger target fights, Murtazaliev will be ready to step in when the IBF finally enforces his mandatory right.
