SSE Arena, Wembley - David Avanesyan wore down Josh Kelly in six rounds to retain his European welterweight title and pitch his name into the hat for a world-title shot in the next 12 months.
For four rounds Avanesyan had been picked off by the promising British fighter, but the more the rounds ticked by, the closer the Russian got. By the sixth round Kelly no longer had the strength to stay out of the way.
Avanesyan was always looking to play the long game, using his experience and strength to let Kelly blow himself out. By the fifth round, though, he was getting Kelly to trade with him and he was happy to be on the receiving end of Kelly’s best shots to land some of his own.
