Josh Kelly made a successful first defence of his IBF light-middleweight title on July 25, edging Belfast’s Caoimhin Agyarko on points in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The bout took place on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight comeback against Kristian Prenga. Sunderland’s Kelly, now 31, took the verdict with two judges scoring it 115-112 and a third at 114-113.

It was Kelly’s 21st professional win, but it came at a cost. He ended the night bloodied, with cuts across his face and a gash on his nose, after a contest that shifted dramatically in the second half.

How the Fight Turned

Kelly controlled the early rounds with considerable confidence, dropping his hands and moving freely as he picked off Agyarko with sharp combinations. The challenger had already developed swelling under his right eye by round two. Kelly had won the IBF belt with a points victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev back in January, and he looked every bit the settled champion through the first five rounds.

The momentum changed in the sixth. Kelly was docked a point for repeatedly hitting to the back of the head — a deduction the judges deemed deserved — and that disruption opened the door for Agyarko to grow into the fight. The challenger, who is known for finishing strongly, started landing left hooks with greater regularity.

A head clash in round nine opened a cut on Kelly’s nose. His corner came under pressure. Agyarko’s team urged their man on in the tenth, but Kelly responded with sharp uppercuts.

Kelly Digs Deep in the Championship Rounds

The final two rounds were tight. Kelly found his best work late, landing the cleaner punches overall and finishing with a double left hook in the twelfth. It was enough to hold off the Agyarko surge and secure the cards.

Kelly afterwards acknowledged it was a difficult evening, saying the cuts were the result of heads and elbows rather than clean punches, and that his tight skin makes those kinds of wounds more visible. He had vowed to humiliate Agyarko in the build-up, but conceded that his opponent brought a smart game plan and forced him to show a different side of himself — one he described as the mark of a champion.

Agyarko Falls Short of Historic Win

For Agyarko, 29, the defeat was the first of his professional career across 30 contests. He had the chance to become Ireland’s first black world champion. Despite a second-half performance that genuinely troubled Kelly, he could not do enough over twelve rounds to take the verdict. The margin was tight throughout, with the closest scorecard separated by just one point.

Sheeraz Wins but Struggles Against Zachenhuber

Elsewhere on the card, WBO super-middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz retained his title with a majority decision over Germany’s Simon Zachenhuber, though the performance drew little praise. The 27-year-old Londoner — who had stopped Alem Begic just two months earlier to claim the vacant WBO belt — controlled the opening rounds with body shots but found Zachenhuber’s southpaw style increasingly frustrating as the fight wore on.

Zachenhuber arrived with a 29-1 record, built largely against limited opposition, and while he never seriously threatened Sheeraz, he did enough to disrupt the champion’s rhythm. Sheeraz extended his record to 24 wins and one defeat but was far from convincing.

Sheeraz acknowledged post-fight that the performance was not up to standard. He also made clear he is eager for bigger fights, noting that a display like that would only fuel the desire of rivals to challenge him — and that he wants those major bouts to happen.