Ex-Sunderland youth team player to box in hometown for first time as professional

Josh Kelly will fight in front of his home fans for the first time as a professional when he faces Roarke Knapp in Sunderland on December 16. 

Shown live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, Kelly headlines the Wasserman Boxing show against the power-punching South African at the Beacon of Light, with both men daring to put their world title ambitions on the line.

Kelly, who spent time at Sunderland AFC and Hartlepool United as a youngster, has boxed all over the world but will walk to the ring in his hometown for the first time since 2012, when he was a rising amateur, on the path towards international titles and Olympic qualification. 

‘Pretty Boy’ is now one of the world’s leading contenders in the super welterweight division and his return home, which is set in the shadow of the famous Stadium of Light, promises to be an emotionally charged evening. 

But Johannesburg’s Knapp also has strong ties to the city and says, like Kelly, he is a lifelong supporter of Sunderland AFC, thanks to his father and grandparents who were born in the city.

On December 16, at the Beacon of Light and live on DAZN, the pair meet to determine which one takes a giant stride towards the top. 

Josh Kelly said: “I’m so excited to be boxing back home, in Sunderland, for the first time as a professional. 

I can’t wait to put on a show and get dancing under those lights on December 16th, with the support of my city behind me.” 

Roarke Knapp said: “This is my time to step it up, I belong with the best in the world and so what better way to cement my legacy and introduce myself to the world, than in the UK?

“Kelly is a sublime talent, we’ve both got brilliant styles and it’s going to be great to mix it up and see who the better man on the night is. 

“I spent my formative years in the UK, I still have family there and my Dad was born and bred in Sunderland, so the blood that flows through these veins is also from Sunderland and I am a Sunderland fan through and through.”