Hennessy starts quickly, throwing a double jab and establishing herself in this fight early doors. Bouttell is trying to cut the ring off to get closer to Hennessy but she's not having much luck.

A comfortable first round for both.

"Josh Kelly, he's one of our own" can be heard being chanted loudly in Newcastle tonight.

Interesting first round where Murtazaliev took control in the centre of the ring, and he caught Kelly with a nice right hand at the end of the round.

That might have been enough to give him the first round, but it was close.

Image source, PA Media

As far as numbers are concerned, this fight looks fairly even but will it be like that in the ring?

Only one way to find out...

Ellie Bouttell is in the ring and looks relaxed but here comes Fran Hennessy.

What's she got in store for us with the ringwalk here?

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at Copper Box Arena, London

Image source, Getty Images

Promoter Mick Hennessy knows boxing inside out - and Francesca has that experience close to home.

But huge credit too for trainer Bradley Skeete, the former British and Commonwealth welterweight champion.

Skeete is calm, knowledgeable and clearly trusted. The young cornerman has built a strong bond with his fighter.

Right then, it's time for the ringwalks and Josh Kelly is the first to make his walk. No prizes for guessing who the crowd is backing there tonight.

Image source, Matchroom

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport at Utilita Arena, Newcastle

Bakhram Murtazaliev and Josh Kelly are at opposite ends of the scale when it comes to style.

Russia's Murtazaliev walks his opponents down, is efficient - every punch has a purpose - and has earned a reputation as a finisher.

Kelly, meanwhile, is flashy, elusive and happy to fight on the back foot.

It will be interesting to see how the styles gel and if either has a plan B to lean on if things don't get off to a positive start.

Right guys, the worst has happened and we have a clash.

Josh Kelly is about to make his ringwalk in Newcastle and so is Fran Hennessy in London.

Stick with us, though, we'll bring both right to you!

Image source, Getty Images

Josh Kelly has a formidable opponent in the way of earning light-middleweight glory at the Utilita Arena tonight.

Bakhram Murtazaliev is undefeated in 23 professional fights, winning by KO in 17 of those.

While he didn't fight in 2025, his last win came in October 2024 when he beat Tim Tszyu, dropping him twice in round two before earning the stoppage win in round three.

The Russian has held the IBF light-middleweight title since April 2024, and won't be relinquishing that title without a fight.

Promoter Mick Hennessy dusted off a camcorder, took his daughter to the running track and filmed her going around at her own pace. Fran Hennessy, nine years old and a little overweight, kept running.

"Go on, champ," Mick encouraged as she began her eighth lap.

The video - viewed more than four million times on Instagram - then fast-forwards more than a decade to a fit, athletic Francesca sprinting on the track and, moments later, slipping and sliding shots as an unbeaten bantamweight contender.

Boxing royalty such as Laila Ali were moved by the video, as fathers spoke of watching it in tears and young prospects said it gave them belief.

The impact stretched even further, taking Francesca to the Houses of Parliament, where she was invited by Chris Webb MP to speak about the positive role boxing can play in the lives of young people.

Have a read for yourself.

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport at Utilita Arena, Newcastle

It's not often that someone from Sunderland would be cheered on in Newcastle but Kiaran MacDonald was well backed earlier on his professional debut.

MacDonald, trained by former world champion Anthony Crolla, sold 300 tickets for tonight's card and delivered with a win on points.

Image source, Matchroom

We've got a fight on our hands!

Heavyweights Ergal Elezaj and Will Howe are putting on a show, with both fighters landing big shots in every round.

It's not been the best quality, but it's been a back-and-forth contest nonetheless.

Heading into the sixth and final round now.

Image source, Boxxer

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at Copper Box Arena, London

The winner of tonight’s main event becomes mandatory challenger for undisputed champion Cherneka Johnson’s WBC bantamweight title.

So if Francesca Hennessy comes through, how does she stack up against the battle-hardened Australian?

The honest answer is that we don’t fully know yet. Hennessy hasn’t been pushed into deep waters so far - and sometimes, like Dalton Smith showed against Subriel Matias, you only really find your level when you’re thrown straight in.

Ellie Bouttell says she expects a "fast-paced" contest against Fran Hennessy.

"I think both of us will be quick to get started. I respect her speed. I'm not going to be surprised if I get booed.

"I am so glad to be back [in the UK] and for everyone to see all the changes I've made."

Image source, Boxxer

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport at Utilita Arena, Newcastle

Josh Kelly is a lifelong Sunderland supporter and paid a visit to their training ground to meet the players earlier this week.

Sunderland has never been able to boast a world champion boxer but Kelly, who competes in the red and white of his beloved club, has dreams of fighting at the Stadium of Light as a world champion later this year.

Despite being behind enemy lines in Newcastle tonight, Kelly supporters are expected to make the 15 mile trip across the north east.

Image source, Getty Images

It hasn't been a simple journey for Josh Kelly to earn this world title shot.

He represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio but lost against eventual gold medal winner Daniyar Yeleussinov in the last 16.

In 2021, Kelly was undefeated in 10 fights as a professional and had his sights set on the top tier of the division.

He appeared to have the world at his feet as he prepared to face David Avanesyan for the European welterweight title.

But Kelly suffered the first defeat of his professional career as he was stopped by Russian David Avanesyan in round six.

After taking 16 months away from the ring, Kelly fought his way back into contention and enters this world title shot on a seven-fight win streak.

He most recently made light work of Flavius Biea, earning a first round stoppage win with a clean left hook.

A Cambridge University graduate who was born in Nottingham and now lives and trains in China, Ellie Boutell first moved to Beijing as a teenager to live with her father after what she describes as a difficult adolescence in the UK.

"Like a lot of kids, I wasn't sure about my place in the world and I used to act out a lot," she told BBC World Service's More Than The Score podcast on Tuesday.

"Looking back, I was just under-stimulated. I didn't find school challenging and I had lots of excess energy that ended up in not great behaviour."

Bouttell says her "behaviour problems disappeared", though she admits she still longed for familiar comforts. "I missed Greggs," she adds.

Her love of the Chinese language earned her a place at Cambridge, where she initially focused on powerlifting before discovering boxing in her final year.

After graduating, Boutell returned to China to teach English and settled in Shanghai. There, she met the coach who now trains her professionally and entered white-collar boxing.

Bouttell turned professional and has fought seven times in China and once in Thailand.

Have a listen to the interesting story of Ellie Bouttell. The 29-year-old born in England but calls Shanghai her hometown.

Here's her story.