On April 23, 2026, the IBF ordered Brandon Adams and former champion Bakhram Murtazaliev to begin negotiations for an elimination bout to determine that organizations mandatory contender position in the junior middleweight division. An agreement was not reached within the timeframe set forth by the IBF, so as a result, the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for May 27th, to take place during its ratings meeting at the IBF convention at the Grand Ho Tram in Ho Tram, Vietnam. Murtazaliev held the IBF title until earlier this year, when he lost a disputed decision to the current champion, Josh Kelly. Adams beat Serhii Bohachuk last year and then was supposed to take part in a purse bid for a fight with Caoimhin Agyarko, but that never materialized.
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE
FEB. 1, 2026: Josh Kelly is the new IBF junior middleweight champion following a hometown split-decision win over Bakhram Murtazaliev in Newcastle, England. Kelly made an excellent start and even dropped his opponent, but that was almost undone when he was floored in round nine and then absorbed punishment over a tough finish in the championship rounds. Despite Murtazaliev’s efforts in the closing stages, Kelly clung on to prevail on the scorecards via majority decision. The official scores were 115-111 and 114-113 in favor of Kelly against a card of 113-113. Kelly’s win now makes him Britain’s latest world champion, and he will be keen to land another huge fight against the likes of Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz.
DEC. 15, 2025: On November 20th, the IBF ordered junior middleweights Brandon Adams and Caoimhin Agyarko to begin negotiations for an elimination bout to determine that organization's #1 contender at 154 pounds. An agreement was not reached within the time set forth by the IBF, so a purse bid has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 30th at 12 Noon. At 26-4, Adams is highly qualified for this opportunity. He has two wins over the highly touted Serhii Bohachuk, who last year held the WBC interim title after his first loss to Adams. Agyarko, from Ireland, is 19-0 including the World Series of Boxing. He has also legitimately earned this opportunity. The IBF junior middleweight champion is Bakhram Murtazaliev of Russia, who is scheduled to defend his title in January vs. Josh Kelly.
