Former IBF world junior middleweight champ Bakhram Murtazaliev lost his title last Saturday night to Josh Kelly in controversial fashion. Now, he wants the organization to give him a rematch over a scoring dispute.
Former IBF 154 lb. champ Bakhram Murtazaliev has formally petitioned the organization to order an immediate rematch following his controversial loss to Josh Kelly in the main event of Saturday night’s Matchroom Boxing card at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England.
Fighting in Kelly’s home region, Murtazaliev lost his title via a narrow majority decision in what many observers saw as a surprising and highly debatable outcome.
Kelly survived a ninth round knockdown and rallied late in the championship rounds of the bout (10-12) to squeak out the decision by one point on one, now dubious, scorecard.
So, according to insider Dan Rafael, who obtained the filing, Murtazaliev’s attorney, Patrick English, has submitted a detailed six-page letter to IBF president Daryl Peoples and championships chairman George Martinez requesting that the organization exercise its authority to mandate a rematch.
The request centers largely on the scoring of the 12th and final round of the bout by judge Steve Gray, who controversially ruled the round a 10-10 even score.
The final round was widely regarded as the most action-packed and decisive frame of the fight, making the even score particularly unusual. Even rounds are rare in professional boxing and are generally discouraged, especially in world title fights where judges are expected to clearly identify a winner in rounds featuring meaningful action.
Hear Dan Rafael and me discussing the scoring controversy on our latest podcast here:
By scoring the round even, Gray's card kept Kelly the winner by one point, 114-113. Had he scored the round for Murtazaliev, his car would have read 113-113 and two of the official tallies would have been a draw, therefore, allowing Murtazaliev to retain the IBF belt.
The other two judges each scored the fateful 12th round decisively—one in favor of Murtazaliev, now 23-1, 17 KOs, and the other for Kelly, now 18-1-1, 9 KOs. Gray's 10-10 score proved decisive, but there's also an argument that he could have given the round to Kelly and he would have won by two points on Gray's card.
In the letter, English argued that Murtazaliev was the clear winner of the final round and cited IBF Rule 5.K, which grants the organization discretion to order a rematch, when circumstances warrant it. English urged IBF leadership to invoke that rule in this case.
English also pointed to judging education standards, noting that even rounds are addressed extensively in IBF training sessions. According to English, judges are repeatedly instructed that 10-10 rounds should be used only in the rarest situations, such as when a bout is stopped before meaningful action occurs. In rounds where action takes place, judges are taught that there is almost always a discernible difference between fighters.
“We ask that the president and championship chair of the IBF exercise their discretion under Rule 5.K and order a rematch,” English concluded, emphasizing the extraordinary nature of the scoring and the stakes involved in a world title fight.
It is not unusual that when an error is made, boxing organizations will order a title fight rematch. The question is: does a judge's judgment call on scoring a late, important round even rise to the level of harming Murtazaliev?
We're about to find out.