Josh Kelly suffered the first professional loss of his career on Saturday.

David Avanesyan weathered a promising start from Josh Kelly before knocking him down twice in the sixth round to force a stoppage at the 2:15 mark to retain his European welterweight title in the main event of Matchroom Boxing's card at the SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday.

The two were due to face in December 2018, then March 2020 and last month before finally getting the green light at the fourth time of asking. Kelly did a great job of using his speed and reach to fluster the champion early on by making the Russian miss frequently coming forward. Kelly's mobility drastically decreased a lot easier than anyone imagined.

In rounds five and six, Avanesyan's trademark pressure fighting was finding Kelly's face and body with every advance, and the shots added up. The champion landed a damaging combo in the sixth, which led to a count from the referee. Moments later, he had Kelly in hot water again, and trainer Adam Booth threw in the towel.

свернуть