Jimmy Kelly, a former world champion, is trying to restart his career this week after an eight-month break from the ring.
The boxer from Manchester last competed in June, losing to the undefeated Jaime Munguia for only the third fight in his 26-3 career. He was supposed to come back in October and then again in December, but when neither came through, he instead used the chance to practice with Chris Eubank Jr. before his fight with Liam Smith last month.
The 30-year-old Kelly is now primed and ready for his own fight against Edward Ulloa Diaz on February 22 in Plant City, Florida, which is free to watch on ProBox TV. He revealed the following exclusively to Daily Star Sport: “I feel fantastic.
“I’ve had a wonderful camp, starting with my sparring match with Eubank over Christmas and continuing through to the end. I’m glad because it was a nice six or seven weeks.”
Between Kelly’s defeat to Munguia, who was knocked out after three knockdowns in the fifth round, and his shocking upset points victory against Kanat Islam to win the WBO world middleweight championship, less than four months passed.
In looking back on 2022, he acknowledged that by moving up to super-middleweight for his last fight, he could have taken on too much.
“It’s not been easy for me. defeating undefeated knockout artist Kanat Islam. Huge Kazak undoubtedly entered Munguia just after that “Kelly went on.
“There was a significant weight differential on the night, but up until I was caught, I was winning the fight. That was definitely too huge for me since he was up at hyper middle.”
Kelly said that taking on the 32-year-old Dominican Diaz is the first step toward returning to title contention “I’m pleased with how my third bout in America went. I came here and took my risks because it’s the land of opportunity.
“I believe Munguia raised my profile, and I want to take another go at it at that price. As a result, I’m entirely confident in myself because I’ve put in the necessary training to win the battle against Diaz.”
»Jimmy Kelly trains with Chris Eubank Jr. for a “must-win” battle«