Sunderland's Josh Kelly has set his sights on bringing a major fight to the Stadium of Light after becoming the city's first boxing world champion. The IBF super-welterweight titleholder dethroned Bakhram Murtazaliev in a stunning victory that has put him on the map. Kelly, who grew up supporting Sunderland AFC, wants to capitalize on his hometown hero status.

While Kelly is open to facing British rival Conor Benn, he doesn't consider the welterweight a worthy challenger. 'He's not on my level,' Kelly stated bluntly, suggesting Benn is chasing 'fantasy fights' against opponents like Shakur Stevenson where losses won't damage his commercial value. The 28-year-old believes his own marketability rivals the best in the division.

Kelly's immediate goal is unification, targeting Xander Zayas who holds both WBO and WBA titles at 154lbs. 'Three belts, unreal,' he said of the potential matchup. While the Stadium of Light remains his dream venue, Kelly acknowledges he may need to travel for the right fight. The newly crowned champion has backing from Sunderland's boxing community and aims to build on his historic achievement with more title defenses and bigger fights.