JOSH KELLY looks set to return to the ring in May.
While no further details are available at this time the Sunderland super-welterweight has Conor Benn at the top of his hitlist.
Last year Kelly, the WBO number one contender, fought twice. He beat Gabriel Alberto Corzo comfortably on points before knocking out Placido Ramirez in the third round during Kelly’s Sunderland homecoming in December.
One man who had been in the frame to fight Kelly was James Metcalf. The Liverpudlian’s trainer Joe McNally told Boxing News this week: “He [Kelly] was meant to fight James for James’s IBO [belt], but Josh pulled out of the fight. We were a little bit disappointed with that. I don’t know the reasons behind it, but James is waiting for the next available option to come.”
BN contacted Kelly’s promoter Wasserman Boxing for comment, and in response they said offers were made to Metcalf for a fight in December, but terms could not be agreed. They added that their fighter would have no problem fighting Metcalf if the deal was right but for now Kelly is pursuing other options.
On Sunday Kelly fired verbal shots at rival Conor Benn after the Londoner’s points win over Pete Dobson in Las Vegas. American stars Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Errol Spence Jr also joined in before Benn responded in anger to all of them. Benn and Kelly were seemingly on a path to fight one another during their time fighting under the Matchroom Boxing banner but have since gone down very different paths.
