The IBF super welterweight world champion retains his title, while Oleksandr Khyzhniak and Reito Tsutsumi impress with early victories in the undercard
IBF super welterweight world champion Josh Kelly successfully defended his title last night against Irish challenger Caoimhin Agyarko. The fight took place as part of the undercard for the heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After a hard-fought twelve rounds, all three judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of Kelly (19-1-1, 9 KOs). The official scores were 114-113 and two 115-112s.
The defending champion had a point deducted in the sixth round after landing a punch to the back of his opponent’s head. Nevertheless, the judges saw Kelly as the superior boxer in the ring, allowing him to secure a narrow unanimous decision victory.
Danish super middleweight Jacob Bank (20-0, 11 KOs) also remained undefeated in the undercard. He defeated Pawel August by unanimous decision over eight rounds.
The Ukrainian Olympic champion from Paris 2024, Oleksandr Khyzhniak (2-0, 2 KOs), left no doubt in the light heavyweight division either. He knocked out France’s Lenny Patrach (8-1-1, 5 KOs) within just two rounds.
Japanese super featherweight Reito Tsutsumi (5-0, 4 KOs) also continued his successful start to his professional career. He stopped Alvino Herrera Meza in the second round, remaining undefeated.