Josh Kelly opens up on his fears for boxing as coronavirus pandemic shuts down European title bid

EXCLUSIVE
Kelly's WBA European title showdown against David Avanesyan was called off last week.
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Tony Mogan28 March 2020

Josh Kelly is a man of routine. From his amateur days, to moving through the professional ranks and establishing himself as the undefeated welterweight contender he is today, the Sunderland fighter has been governed by a relentless routine.

For now, that has stopped. Like most other people in the country, Kelly is at home with boxing on hold as the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc on the sporting calendar.

Kelly was in the final days of a 10-week training camp when the call came in. Last Tuesday, his WBA European title clash against David Avanesyan at London’s O2 Arena on 28 March became the first high profile fight on these shores to be postponed due to the pandemic. No new date has been decided and with more high profile bouts likely to be postponed in the coming weeks it is difficult to guess at this point when Kelly's meeting with the Russian will take place.

He, along with Avanesyan, will have felt the frustration more so than other fighter, having pushed his body to the limit in training before finding out it was for nothing.

“When you are a boxer it is nice having a date in your head and a goal to focus on, it is what drives you,” Kelly told Standard Sport, recalling the final days of fight camp before the decision was made. “We had to crack on as normal, as normal as you could, anyway. It was hard. Then it was all over.”

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That frustration quickly evaporated however with Kelly fully aware of the bigger picture as the world battles with an unprecedented pandemic. The situation is very real at home, where his wife Remy is expecting their second child, placing her in a high-risk category. It means he will be staying right where he is for the foreseeable future.

“There was anger," he admitted. "But then you start to look at the bigger picture. Boxing isn't the be all and end all of what is happening. At the end of the day, people are losing their lives. You have to rationalise this.

“At the end of the day we are boxers - I've got the luxury of doing what I love for a living. I feel like I'm lucky. There are people out there who have to go out to work every day in factories, people having their businesses shut down. These people have seen their livelihoods put in jeopardy. It’s crazy.”

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It's a worrying time for boxing. Kelly vs Avanesyan was the first of a string of fights slated for the spring to be postponed and a thrilling period for the heavyweight division is now also in real jeopardy.

Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce have seen their Battle of London put on hold for three months. Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin and Dereck Chisora vs Oleksandr Usyk, originally scheduled for 2 May and 23 May respectively, are now under threat. A provisional new date for Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev has already been discussed.

That is at the top level of the sport in the UK - a place Kelly is also lucky enough to find himself. But until the situation eases somewhat, Kelly won’t be able to fight. Not fighting means not earning.

With Eddie Hearn warning many boxers could quit the sport should the coronavirus crisis continue into the autumn months, Kelly admits he fears for the fighters lower down the scale who will soon find themselves in a position where they are not able to provide for their families.

“We are lucky enough to be boxers but at the same time we only get paid when we are boxing. I'll be living off what I’ve got saved up. It is alright for now, but at the same time I’ve got to box to earn money for my family. I feel for them [fighters at the bottom of the scale], they are going out there earning their bit, usually fighting every couple of weeks.

"Now they don't have that, they are earning nothing. I am not worried because I know boxing will always come back but it’s a hard position and place to be.

Kelly fought out a draw with Ray Robinson in New York last June.
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“It’s alright when you are getting paid and getting paid nicely. I feel for the people fighting on small hall shows. I’m used to fighting on Sky Sports which is unbelievable and I’m grateful, but if you are fighting on small shows, what are they going to do?

“It’s hard, boxing is a hard sport but when you put measures like this in it just makes it twice as hard for everyone. We don't have the luxury of being paid a salary."

Kelly is now training behind closed doors at home with trusted coach Adam Booth helping keep him on track as best as possible.

It isn't an easy process. The coronavirus pandemic has robbed so many of their routine and when your livelihood depends on you strictly adhering to that routine, things can get complicated. While Kelly believes his years in boxing as an amateur and professional have him subconsciously built to stay on track, he worries some are at risk of falling by the wayside during the sport’s downtime.

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“Fighters need stability. To take that away from them when that's the only thing that helps keep them on the straight and narrow, I suppose some could fall off the rails. I’m lucky enough to have a good sport system having been around for a while and having been through all the Olympic squads before turning professional so I know what to do.

“But the lads who don't have that support system around them, when the only thing they have got is the gym, what are they going to do? They might end up eating crap, having a drink, stuff like that. It’s a bad place, but you have to try and take the positives out of it. You can't let it take over. You can try to close the gap on people in a sense while we have got this time off. It's a mental battle more than anything.”

Kelly's focus is now on ensuring his young family are safe and well and maintaining the fitness levels that would have seen him navigating through a 12-round title fight against Avanesyan this weekend. It will take some adapting to but with the right motivation, he hopes to come out the other side ready for anything.

“Everyone is in the same boat and everyone is going to have to make do with what they have got. All I can say is if you are hungry enough you can keep going. You can keep everything ticking over. Because as soon as we get by this, there are going to be dates out there to fight. We need to be ready.”

Watch Josh Kelly fight exclusively live on Sky Sports and DAZN.