Josh Kelly ‘can come again’ after David Avanesyan defeat says Eddie Hearn: ‘He will be a world-class fighter’

Promoter Eddie Hearn insists Josh Kelly can bounce back from his punishing defeat by David Avanesyan.

Former Olympian and accomplished amateur ‘PBK’ was taking on the biggest challenge of his four-year professional career at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday night as he tried to wrestle the European welterweight belt from a seasoned former world champion.

Kelly – with blood pouring from a cut on the back of his head – made an impressive start to the bout with his greater speed and rocked Avanesyan in the second round, but his pace slowed thereafter and the Russian’s gameplan worked perfectly as he applied relentless pressure and landed numerous heavy blows to the head and body.

Two knockdowns in the sixth round led Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth to throw in the towel and confirm the Sunderland fighter’s first pro loss just seven days after Josh Warrington was stunned by Mauricio Lara at the same venue.

And while the 26-year-old was ultimately found wanting during his toughest test yet, Matchroom chief Hearn believes he deserves enormous credit for accepting the challenge in the first place.

“He took the step up,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “I hope people give him the credit for taking the step up, because we know in boxing that too many fighters, too many teams, too many managers, too many advisors, too many lawyers, they don’t want to take a step up.

“We’re in a time now where you need to take a step up and if you believe you can win, you should. Josh Kelly took the step up with Adam Booth, he should be applauded for that.

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“He fought a world-class fighter. He’s a young man, he can come again.”

Avanesyan, 32, provided the third successful defence of the title he claimed from Spain’s Kerman Lejarraga back in 2019, having previously challenged at world level against the likes of “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Lamont Peterson.

And Hearn believes that ‘Ava’ just had an innate will to win that carried him through on Saturday night.

“Sometimes you come across a guy who will not be denied, who’s too strong, that has the will beyond others. And tonight that was David Avanesyan,” he said.

“Josh Kelly had a wonderful camp. Josh Kelly was in the shape of his life, Josh Kelly could not have been better in that ring tonight.

“But this man, he wouldn’t be denied. He’s too tough, he comes from some serious stuff. He deserves this success, because it hasn’t always been easy.

“But what we saw tonight was an elite welterweight, a world-class welterweight against a really good prospect who I believe will be a world-class fighter, but he was just outmanned, he was just outhustled, he was just outfought.”