Two of the most exciting welterweights in British boxing face off in the ring this Friday as Troy Williamson takes on Josh Kelly in Newcastle.
Williamson will put his British Super Welterweight belt on the line, but local bragging rights will also be at stake, as the Darlington fighter takes on Kelly, who was born some 30 miles further north in Sunderland.
What: Troy Williamson v Josh Kelly
Where: Utilita Arena, Newcastle
When: From 21:00, Friday 2nd December
How to watch: Channel 5
Odds: Troy Williamson 4/5, Josh Kelly 10/11
The fight between Troy Williamson and Josh Kelly is scheduled to take place on Friday 2nd December and will be the main event of the evening, with ring walks expected to take place at 23:00. The card itself is due to get under way at 21:00.
The bout will be taking place fairly locally for both these north-east fighters, as it will be held at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle.
This is a venue that is no stranger to hosting high-profile boxing bouts, as the likes of Nigel Benn, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Anthony Joshua have all fought there in the past.
Yes. The fight is available to watch on Channel 5 in Britain, with coverage due to begin at 21:00.
Defending title holder Williamson is the slight favourite at 4/5 to hold on to his belt, while Kelly is available at 10/11 to claim the British Super Welterweight title for the first time in his career.
Williamson will be putting his British Super Welterweight belt on the line on Friday and it will be the second defence of his title.
The 31-year-old initially claimed the belt with a knockout victory over Ted Cheeseman in October 2021, before successfully defending his title against Mason Cartwright in March.
Trojan also stopped David Benitez six rounds into his most recent fight in September, although his welterweight crown was not on the line during that bout.
Kelly is the reigning WBO International Super Welterweight champion after beating Lucas Bastida via unanimous decision in July, but that belt will not be up for grabs on Friday.
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Williamson has yet to taste defeat in 20 professional fights, claiming 19 wins, with 14 of those successes coming via knockout, including his notable stoppage of Cheeseman to claim his current belt.
The only fighter to have prevented Williamson from recording a victory is fellow Brit Jack Flatley, after their bout at the Manchester Arena in June 2018 was adjudged a draw.
Kelly's record stands at 12-1-1 from his 14 professional fights, with seven of his victories coming via knockout.
The only loss on Pretty Boy's record came when he was stopped in the sixth round of his European welterweight title clash with David Avanesyan in February 2021.
The 28-year-old has also drawn a fight with American Ray Robinson, but that was still enough to help him retain his WBA International welterweight title on the undercard for Anthony Joshua's shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
There are seven fights on the undercard, including a second professional bout for former reality TV star and MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers, who beat Alexander Zeledon on his ring debut and who will now face Ryan Broten in a light-heavyweight battle.
Rising heavyweight Matty Harris will also be in action and he will be seeking a third-successive first-round KO when he takes on Jiri Surmaj from the Czech Republic.
Another highly-rated fighter from Darlington is Ben Marksby, who will be looking to go 6-0 with a victory in his super lightweight clash with Olaide Fijabi, while there is also a heavyweight showdown between Lyndon Arthur and Joel McIntyre and a light-heavyweight battle involving Hosea Stewart and Franklin Ignatius.
There are also two high-profile female bouts on the card and they both come from the lightweight division.
Local fighter Jordan Barker-Porter takes on Spain's Sheila Martinez, while Katharina Thanderz of Norway faces off against Hungary's Edina Kiss.
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