Josh Kelly’s vision of moving into title contention has been met with a slight delay.
An undisclosed injury suffered earlier this week during training camp has forced a three-week postponement of Kelly’s previously scheduled June 24 junior middleweight clash versus Argentina’s Gabriel Corzo. Their bout will now take place July 15 on DAZN from Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England.
“Josh has been firing on all cylinders in the gym of late, and was itching to get back in the ring in front of his brilliant fans. However, he suffered an injury in training which means we have to push his return back three weeks,” Kalle Sauerland, head of boxing for Wasserman Boxing, revealed Thursday. “But Josh will be ready for July 15, where he will deliver a statement performance to the rest of the division.”
The clash versus the unbeaten Corzo (18-0, 3KOs) will mark Kelly’s third straight appearance in nearby Newcastle. Corzo will fight for the first time as a pro outside of his native Argentina.
A hard push has been made by Wasserman to sell Kelly (13-1-1, 7KOs) as a viable contender in the 154-pound junior middleweight division. The 29-year-old from Sunderland—mere minutes from Newcastle—has won three in a row since moving up in weight following a sixth-round knockout defeat to David Avanesyan more than two years ago at welterweight.
The win streak has also come with new representation. Kelly began his career with Matchroom Boxing after representing Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics. His loss to Avanesyan was the last with Matchroom before he signed to Wasserman last summer.
Kelly and Wasserman recently extended their multi-fight promotional agreement in May as the Englishman aims to inch closer towards a title shot. He is currently ranked number two with the WBO, whose International regional junior middleweight title he claimed in a ten-round points win over Argentina’s Lucas Brian Ariel Bastida last July 30.
A far more impressive showing came in Kelly’s most recent outing, a dominant twelve-round, unanimous decision over Troy Willamson last December 22.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox