Keys to Victory: Where will the points be won between Josh Kelly and Caoimhin Agyarko?

To make that more of a possibility, Kelly must first defend his IBF 154-pound world title against undefeated Irish fighter Caoimhin Agyarko tonight. The bout takes place at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and live on DAZN PPV and Ultimate Tier, as a featured contest on the main card headlined by Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga.

Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) became the IBF super welterweight world champion by eking out a majority decision over Bakhram Murtazaliev in a spectacular January contest that had each man tasting the canvas. If he wants to get one step closer to making a showdown with WBA/WBO champ Ennis happen, Kelly must get past Agyarko (18-0, 7 KOs) who last recorded a split decision over Ishmael Davis back in September.

Will ‘Pretty Boy’ Kelly look impressive in his first title defense? Or will Agyarko step in to disrupt the British fighter’s plans on a grand scale? DAZN News examines the Keys to Victory heading into tonight’s fight.

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Josh Kelly’s Keys to Victory

Lateral movement

Josh Kelly smoothly moves around the ring, halting and reversing the process within his fighting flow. This constant lateral movement opens up his offense, while frustrating opponents who have to keep up with adroit footwork of their own.

Caoimhin Agyarko moves around the ring well with a bounce of his own, but must still be able to disrupt Kelly’s rhythmic fluidity — and that could be a tough task for anyone at 154 pounds.

Pot-shot with the left hand

Watch Kelly work and one of his most stylistically — and practically — pleasing attributes is his ability to pot-shot with his left hand.

He caught an unsuspecting Bakhram Murtazaliev with the punch several times in their January fight, popping the Russian’s head back with each flush landing.

Though Agyarko moves around the ring effectively, Kelly can still catch him with this potshot, which will score him points and possibly make the game challenger think twice about his tactics.

Make use of the pull counter

His fight against Murtazaliev also had Kelly demonstrating how smoothly he uses the pull counter.

In fact, the fourth round of the bout had a moment where the Russian fighter errantly lunged forward with right hook to the body, only to be caught off-balance and knocked down with a left hand.

Considering Agyarko’s agility, the pull counter might be just the remedy once again for Kelly to score big points.

Caoimhin Agyarko’s Keys to Victory

Time Kelly’s movement

Josh Kelly’s lateral movement makes it difficult for opponents to set their footing and tee off on the ‘Pretty Boy’ … unless they exercise timing.

After all, Bakhram Murtazaliev scored the ninth-round knockdown of their fight by timing Kelly’s movement, detonating a lunging left hook not where the British fighter was standing, but in anticipation of where he was moving to.

Caoimhin Agyarko must do the same in order to land key shots. He doesn’t clock Kelly's movement and it could be an empty evening for the challenger who is aiming to become the first Black Irish world champion.

Frustrate Kelly with feints and switching levels

As smooth as Josh Kelly is on his feet, Agyarko isn’t too shabby with his footwork either. In particular, Agyarko effectively switches levels and throws feints to freeze and frustrate opponents along the way.

Whether these tactics will work against the IBF super welterweight titleholder remains to be seen, but Agyarko must try them out.

Win exchanges, rise to the moment

This is it — Agyarko has the chance to show his undefeated record can translate to being crowned a world champion. To stand a chance of successfully defeating Kelly and hoisting the IBF super welterweight title, Agyarko cannot be consumed by the moment. He must rise to it instead with a cool, calculated performance.

The Irish fighter winning exchanges will give judges food for thought to possibly tilt the scorecards in his favor. It’s precisely why he must stay strong in the pocket and land the grittier output in those cramped-quarter trades.

Who has the edge in Kelly vs. Agyarko?

Analysis: DAZN News’ Mark Lelinwalla

I’m expecting nothing short of a spirited contest between Josh Kelly and Caoimhin Agyarko. Coming off the scintillating victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev earlier this year, Kelly’s time is now. His flow state hits its peak when his efficiency is clicking. I believe he has the championship confidence and sweet science skills to pull away from Agyarko on points in a competitive affair. 

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