‘Spooky premonitions’ drive unfancied Kelly to top of boxing mountain

The writing was quite literally on the wall for Josh Kelly in the days before the biggest fight of his career.

In the aftermath of his victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev to win the IBF light-middleweight title on Saturday, Britain’s Kelly says he was getting signs all week that it would be his night.

Upon checking into his hotel in Newcastle the 2016 Olympian opted for a steam and shower to loosen up – it was there that he saw the five Olympic rings on the mirror in his bathroom.

But the “spooky” signs did not end there.

In the days that followed he got taxis to and from media events. One of the registration plates had the letters PYT – the same initials as the song by Michael Jackson that plays when he walks to the ring.

There was another taxi with the letters NEW. Kelly saw that as a reference to “and the new” – the phrase he heard announced when his arm was raised in the ring to confirm he was the champion.

“I was seeing all these signs and thinking this is just spooky,” said Kelly, who only had a small cut on his cheek despite a gruelling affair.

Saturday’s victory in front of 4,000 vociferous fans, who made the short trip to Newcastle from Sunderland, was the crowning moment of Kelly’s rollercoaster career.

The bout was a microcosm of his 20-fight journey in the ring. It was full of bravery and another tale of overcoming adversity.

Kelly entered the bout as an underdog and was written off by many before he’d even laced up his gloves.

It was not the first time he had been overlooked but unlike five years ago when he suffered a shock defeat and was battling with chronic hypochondria – the condition more formally called illness anxiety disorder – Kelly is now working with a reinforced mindset.

He came out confidently, knowing his coaching team, family and friends all believed he had the ability to prevail.

‘Pretty Boy’ danced around the ring and taunted the previously undefeated Murtazaliev before scoring a knockdown in the fourth round.

Murtazaliev rallied and responded with a knockdown of his own in the ninth but this was also something Kelly had experienced a premonition about.

“I was praying the other day and had a vision of me being knocked down in a round,” Kelly said.

“I got back up and had these different feelings. One of them was that I got sloppy and lost the fight but the other was me getting back to what I do best and seeing through the round.”

Kelly has come a long way from his mental struggles, which dovetailed with difficulties in making the weight when he fought at welterweight.

“I told everyone what I was dealing with at 147lbs (10st 7lb, 6.7kg), especially when it was Covid and I had health anxieties,” Kelly said.

“I was telling my dad I was getting sick when I was in the hotels and always wearing a mask.”

Kelly was tipped as a star of the future when he made his way through the amateur ranks and earned the chance to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics.

In his first 10 fights as a professional, Kelly – who signed with promoter Matchroom – fought on cards at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, London’s O2 Arena and Madison Square Garden in New York.

He was being pushed hard and delivering with winning performances.

But Kelly’s dreams came crashing down after his loss against Avanesyan and he took a 16-month break before returning as a light-middleweight.

“I put Avanesyan to bed a long time ago,” Kelly said. “I just had to believe in myself.”

Matchroom CEO Frank Smith confirmed that Kelly, who only re-signed with the promoter in November, had agreed to fight WBA interim champion Jaron Ennis next if he dispatched with Murtazaliev.

“Josh is in a position where he can take whatever shot he wants,” Smith said.

“Within the next week or so – that’s not a deadline – we need to decide what to do next.”

Unification is also a possibility for Kelly. WBA champion Abass Baraou and WBO title-holder Xander Zayas are set to meet later tonight in Puerto Rico.

While the next opponent remains unclear, his next destination appears to already be decided.

Smith received a text from officials at Kelly’s beloved football team Sunderland in the minutes after his win saying “good win for Josh, let’s do Stadium of Light next”.

The Black Cats have invited Kelly to attend Monday’s Premier League game against Burnley.

“There are plenty of names to fill that stadium,” Kelly said.