Josh Kelly all business for boxing bout with David Avanesyan

David Avanesyan and Josh Kelly finally battle in the boxing ring after more than two years from their originally scheduled bout. 

Welterweight boxers David Avanesyan and Josh Kelly will finish what was started back in December of 2018 when they fight on Saturday, Feb. 20, from the SSE Arena in London.

The two were scheduled to fight back then, but Kelly became sick overnight and had to cancel on fight day. Avanesyan and his team didn’t appreciate the inconvenience then, and they’re still peeved about it now.

At the time, Avanesyan’s manager Neil Marsh characterized Kelly and his team’s actions as “disgusting” via Twitter.

Not much has changed to block out that sentiment.

Speaking during an early fight week media conference, Avanesyan’s trainer, Carl Greaves, said, “David hasn’t took anything personal because he’s not that sort of kid. I’m just doing my job as a trainer, but Neil was very upset at what Adam [Booth] did with the pull-out.”

The old wounds of unfortunate circumstances still linger. Although both sides have said that they respect each other, Team Avanesyan sees Kelly as an inferior boxer compared to some of Avanesyan’s past opposition. It should be noted that Avanesyan has three losses on his record, including a round 3 TKO against Egidijus Kavaliauskas.

“He’s definitely not the best opponent David’s boxed,” said Greaves. “Stylewise, he’s a little bit different to what we’re used to, which will be a different obstacle for David to master. He’s a different opposition stylewise, but I don’t think he’s the best opposition David boxed.”

Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) is undefeated but has looked subpar in his last two outings. He fought Ray Robinson to a draw in 2019, and he looked flat in a unanimous decision win over Wiston Campos in his last contest.

Boxers Josh Kelly and David Avanesyan have a lot to gain in victory and a lot to lose in defeat

Kelly was a 2016 Olympian for England and has tremendous talent and potential. He was FanSided’s 2018 Prospect of the Year, and an impressive win against Avanesyan would go a long way in helping him realize his potential.

Avanesyan (26-3-1, 14 KOs) is the current EBU European welterweight champion. He’s riding a three-fight knockout streak since his loss to Kavaliauskas.

Even though Avanesyan’s team still holds a grudge, Kelly insists nothing is getting to him personally.

“Not personal at all,” Kelly told FanSided during a media call. “It’s a job. It’s a business. They might take it personal, and if they do, then they’re going to fall into a big trap because emotions in the boxing ring shouldn’t be there.”

Kelly added, “It’s a job. It’s a business. They might take it personal, and if they do, then they’re going to fall into a big trap because emotions in the boxing ring shouldn’t be there.”

Kelly seems focused going into this bout. He’s currently rated as the 23rd best welterweight by Boxrec.com. They have Avanesyan rated seventh. If Kelly wins, his stock should skyrocket. A loss might signify him as a bust who has plateaued as a boxer.

Watch David Avanesyan vs. Josh Kelly on Saturday, Feb. 20, on DAZN. Coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. ET.