Last night, it was Josh Kellyworld (12-1-1, 7 KOs) and we just live in it. A flawless performance from the Sunderland man made it easy for him to take down an extremely talented opponent in the dethroning match Troy Williamson (19-1-1, 14 KOs). However, the British Super League Championship are making their way to Sunderland with ‘PBK’ after a truly phenomenal performance, scored by the judges 118-110, 119-109 and 119-111, live on Channel 5 from Utilita Arena, Newcastle.
Kelly was consistently in a ‘fluent state’ from the opening bell as he was loose and flexible both in defense and attack. As expected by fans and experts because Williamson was not well prepared for the fast start and terrifying speed of the opponent. Kelly’s left hook caused trouble all night as it often landed whenever thrown, followed by the upper right hook, which proved to be a terrifying combination.
Williamson has never backed down from the daunting task of trying to hold the belt and take out Kelly. After being overwhelmed in the first round, he immediately got out of his chair to step towards ‘PBK’ and managed to knock him down. Kelly proved too energetic for Williamson to deliver any significant blows, however as Sunderland’s man confidently encircled his opponent from the outside.
New champion Kelly’s maturing performance was shown in the fifth round when a left and right hook left Troy momentarily scrambling. With the slightly shaky legs of the opponent, Kelly was not in a hurry to blindly find a way to finish. He is still belligerent and aware of any opportunity to express himself, but this is another boxer that exists in his own bubble at night and he is still in control of his emotions and control the game.
Those were otherworldly moments from Kelly in the seventh round, briefly reincarnating as Muhammad Ali 2.0 as a rope-style evasive take the arena by surprise. His confidence kept him in complete control until the end of the game as he kept his cool, calm and collected every second of each round.
With his gas tank-related questions asked during this build, the eleventh lap certainly answered them all as well as his choice of standing between laps and accelerating around laps. He was still vivacious, still loose and dynamic as he pulled out another tried and tested left hook with a right top hook. Another mainstay in the fight was Kelly’s movement, which repeatedly launched jabs at nice angles to then use his footwork to slide out of the way and let Williamson turn around to find him. Again.
In the final round, Channel 5’s commentary team claimed it was a premium class from Kelly, which is absolutely true. Nothing could be done on Williamson’s side last night with the type of fighter he faced in front of him. Credits to Williamson, who is sure to return and will most likely hold the Lonsdale belt again after his first defeat in the professional class. For Josh Kelly, this was the beginning of something special.
Josh Kelly
“The performance went smoothly and the way it was supposed to, I was saying to Adam, ‘Can you get me out of this dream? It was support from all sides tonight with some Middlesbrough fans, some Newcastle fans and some Sunderland fans; but the Northeast turns out. This England title means so much to me, my gosh, all that hard work has paid off, honey!”
“Which fuel tank? That was cancelled. I felt like I could go on and do five or ten more sets there. I boxed according to instructions, boxed smartly, boxed safely, boxed neatly and without risk; and that’s what the outcome looks like. Troy is going to come and do a job of destroying me, he’s a tough knockout at Super Welterweight. Now there’s a new name, there’s always been that name, but now it’s in use. Josh Kelly, honey.”
“Happy birthday to my coach Adam Booth. With great respect to Troy and all his team and fans, all that online stuff is just online stuff. We are great, Troy is a very tough and strong opponent, but I want to take the time to thank everyone who has supported and been loyal to me. My father, my mother, my family; all men.
“Thank you Channel 5 and everyone for their overwhelming support. Merry Christmas everyone, we will have a good Christmas this year.”
Sauerland Kale
“There are good fighters, there are very good fighters, and then there are exceptional fighters. I’m so proud of Josh, all those critics were speechless after 12 rounds tonight. The sky is the limit for him, as Adam (Booth) said, he is not only good but special. There’s a reason why there was so much hype surrounding him at the start of his career; The hype train is back in action.
“It will be a great journey next year, we are very excited. I want to enjoy tonight first but there are a lot of domestic matches for us, even though this is world level. What we see tonight is world class. This has been going on for a long time, tonight he proved all doubts wrong in the best possible way. I’m so proud of him and Adam who are absolute experts the way they always are. What Josh did tonight was a top fight against a very dangerous opponent, don’t underestimate him because I’m sure he’ll be back; but Josh Kelly is special.”
Adam’s booth
“I said from day one that he is the most talented fighter I have ever worked with. The only one to beat Josh Kelly so far is Josh Kelly, he’s had to overcome huge mental issues. We have now begun to explore the potential that lies within this man; he will become something special.
“I was only interested in working with the best, and he was only interested in being the best.”
Results and photos from Utilita Arena, Newcastle, as Wasserman Boxing presents a free and live boxing night on Channel 5, Friday, December 2.
Result
British Super Welding Championships:
Josh Kelly is against. Troy Williamson passes decisions – 118-110, 119-109 and 119-111
Lyndon Arthur def. Joel McIntyre through injury time in the second half
Franklin Ignatius sure. Hosea Stewart passed the decision – 58-56
Joe Laws def. Alexander Zeledon passed the decision – 39-37
Ben Marksby def. Santiago Garces passed the decision – 59-56
Katharina Thanderz def. Edina Kiss passed the decision – 78-75
Sheila Martinez def. Jordan Barker-Porter passed the decision – 60-54
Ewan Mackenzie def. Angel Emilov passed the decision – 40-36
Bobby Dalton def. Joel Banderas passed the decision – 40-37
Travis Waters resisted. Eligio Palacios passed the decision – 40-36
Adam Reichard def. Claudio Baldomir passed the decision – 39-38
