The ongoing saga of getting Bakhram Murtazaliev back in the ring is depriving the IBF 154lbs champion of his prime and causing much consternation among his handlers and those of planned challenger, England’s Josh Kelly.
Beset by minimal television interest, a discouraging-to-Kelly 85/15 percent purse split in champion Murtazaliev’s favor, the fighters’ low profiles in the U.S., and a purse bid for the bout that was delayed until Tuesday this week, provided fodder for Wednesday’s episode of “BoxingScene Today” on ProBoxTV.
“Josh Kelly should take this opportunity to take the short money,” analyst and former 140lbs world champion Chris Algieri said. “Legacy’s legacy.”
As the highest-ranked contender to Russia’s California-trained Murtazaliev 23-0 (17 KOs), the former U.K. Olympian Kelly, 17-1-1 (9 KOs), was given the title shot after higher ranked Erickson Lubin walked away from the title opportunity to take the richer November 8 purse offered to fight WBC interim 154lbs champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr in Texas.
“Take the risk even though the reward is not so sweet,” Algieri urged.
He should know. More than a decade ago, Algieri accepted a lowball offer to fight then 140lbs champion Ruslan Provodnikov and beat him, landing a seven-figure fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2014.
Afterwards, Algieri proceeded to lucrative dates against Amir Khan and Errol Spence Jnr.
As for Murtazaliev, who is now one year and four days removed from his last fight, all the momentum from that third-round TKO of former champion Tim Tszyu has been watered down by his absence.
In the meantime, Fundora, Ortiz and Ennis have distinguished themselves as popular draws in boxing’s deepest division.
“Bakhram needs to get busy and fight,” analyst and former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said. “Instead of being pushed as the red-hot, scary guy in the division, he’s had to wait. He doesn’t have many options.”
Malignaggi recalls also being in a similar situation to the 31-year-old Kelly, accepting a fight when it seemed if he didn’t he might have to wait another five years.
“Kelly has shown to be a lot of sizzle and no steak,” Malignaggi said. “Hes missing a little character, doesn’t know how to dig down. And if you’re missing a little character, you might not care about missing a title fight.”
If Kelly and Murtazaliev fail to strike a deal, the IBF is empowered to strip[ the champion and drop Kelly in the rankings.
Murtazaliev is promoted by Kathy Duva’s Main Events, which lacks an American broadcast deal, and Kelly is with Wasserman Boxing. Algieri said the likelihood of Kelly being the draw in a U.K.-based fight as a popular Olympian provides some leverage.
“Kelly has a little pushback [to perhaps seek a cut of Murtazaliev’s purse] because Murtazaliev needs a fight,” Malignaggi said.
Any major promoter of the existing top 154lbs fighters – Ortiz, Lubin, Jaron “Boots” Ennis or Sebastian Fundora – would be wise to watch this negotiation closely and have an opponent on stand-by for Murtazaliev if the negotiations crumble to help set up a bigger fight next time around.
“If Murtazaliev goes [overseas] and wipes the floor with Kelly, it’ll elevate his profile once more,” Algieri said. “He’s in a tough situation, but it comes down to, ‘We’ve got to get this guy in the ring and take this fight.’ He has to get active, even if the opponent doesn’t like the money.”
Malignaggi, long an advocate for Eastern European fighters, said, “This is why they ‘don’t fight anybody.’ No one wants to fight them. They’re easily avoidable because they don’t have the [widespread] popularity, and they’re monsters.”
