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Murtazaliev vs Kelly: Britain’s Josh Kelly wins IBF light-middleweight title

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Britain’s Josh Kelly put on a slick and brave performance to beat Bakhram Murtazaliev and win the IBF light-middleweight title by majority decision in Newcastle.

It was a trademark Kelly display as he danced around the ring, displaying devastating speed and high ring IQ – knowing when to engage and when to get on his heels.

Both fighters hit the canvas with Murtazaliev going down in the fourth and Kelly in the ninth. The Briton went down a further two times late in the fight, but both were ruled as slips.

Two judges scored the bout 115-111 and 114-113 in Kelly’s favour with the other having it down as a 113-113 draw.

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Murtazaliev looked to have got to grips with Kelly’s evasive style in the latter rounds, but the home fighter rallied in the last three minutes to end strongly.

Kelly, who becomes Sunderland’s first world champion, sprinted to embrace trainer Adam Booth when the result was announced before grabbing the belt and raising it up to the 4,000-strong crowd.

“It feels like a dream. I envisioned this,” Kelly told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I was praying a couple of days ago, envisioned the fight, and I had deja vu of the knockdown in the tenth round.

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“I had to concentrate – I feel overwhelmed. I need to take a second backstage to gather myself. I’m mentally exhausted.”

Kelly takes the UK’s tally of reigning male world champions to six, alongside heavyweight Fabio Wardley, welterweight Lewis Crocker, super-featherweight Jazza Dickens, featherweight Nick Ball and light-welterweight Dalton Smith.

The 31-year-old extends his winning streak to eight.

Earlier in the night, Elif Nur Turhan retained her IBF lightweight title with a split-decision win against Taylah Gentzen.

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One judge scored it 97-93 for Australia’s Gentzen with the other two cards reading 98-92 and 96-94 in favour of the champion.

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Is Sidney Crosby playing tonight against Dallas Stars? HC Dan Muse delivers latest update

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their captain once again. Sidney Crosby has been ruled out for Saturday night’s matchup against the Dallas Stars, the team announced just hours before puck drop.

The Penguins’ official account confirmed the news early Saturday afternoon:

“Forwards Sidney Crosby (lower-body) and Evgeni Malkin (upper-body) will not play today versus Dallas and both remain day-to-day.”

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Head coach Dan Muse addressed the media before Saturday’s game but offered little clarity on the nature of Crosby’s injury or a potential timeline for his return.

“Same thing, day-to-day for the health today,” Muse said when asked about his captain’s status.

When pressed on whether this injury is connected to Crosby’s previous ailment suffered during the 2026 Olympics in February, Muse gave a cryptic response

“It’s an old body, and so I think not just for all the guys that are out right now. I’ll tell you how they’re listed, but not gonna go into it any other than that.”

This is Crosby’s second consecutive game on the sidelines after he exited Thursday’s contest against Ottawa with a lower-body injury. The Penguins captain played just 6:39 before leaving the game managing only a single 38-second shift in the second period.


Sidney Crosby’s injury woes started at the Olympics

Crosby’s injury woes began on Feb. 18 when his leg bent awkwardly during Canada’s quarterfinal game at the Winter Olympics. He was placed on injured reserve and missed the remainder of the tournament including Canada’s run to the gold medal.

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The Penguins captain returned to the Penguins lineup on Mar. 18 against Carolina, registering a goal and an assist in his comeback game. Thursday’s exit came in just his fifth game back since the Olympics.

Adding to Pittsburgh’s injury concerns, star center Evgeni Malkin will also miss Saturday’s game with an upper-body issue. The dual absences leave the Penguins without their top two centers at a critical juncture in the season.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Pittsburgh. The Penguins (36-20-16, 88 points) sit second in the Metropolitan Division but hold just a one-point lead over both Columbus and the New York Islanders in a tight playoff race.