TV audience of 1.8m viewers watch Sunderland fan school Newcastle United supporter

Ryhope-born Kelly proved his doubters wrong by outwitting the reigning British champion in front of a raucous crowd at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle.

Concerns over the challenger’s stamina were cast aside as the Sunderland man continued to set the pace over the championship rounds, cruising to a spectacular 119-111, 119-109 and 118-110 unanimous decision win.

Kelly, a keen Sunderland fan, was paraded out on a cold Stadium of Light pitch with his newly-won British title strap and interviewed before the Black Cats' 2-1 loss to West Brom in the Championship on Monday evening

Channel 5’s coverage of the British super Welterweight championship contest between Williamson and Kelly, which also featured former WBO number one contender Lyndon Arthur back in action and back to his best delivering a devastating stoppage victory over Joel McIntyre, attracted an incredible reach of over 1.8million viewers, with an average audience of 552,000 and a peak of 822,000 for the main event.

“What an incredible way to end the first year of our partnership with Channel 5,” said Wasserman Head of Global Boxing Kalle Sauerland. “A local derby settled in front of a capacity crowd with the British super welterweight crown on the line – all live and free for the British public to enjoy on terrestrial television.

“The figures speak for themselves. Boxing continues to be a huge hit with terrestrial television audiences, and we want to continue to deliver breathtaking fights that viewers can enjoy for free.

“We saw the re-emergence of a star and one of the most exciting fighters in British boxing right now in Josh Kelly. Josh has a massive future ahead of him and we look forward to some mouth-watering match-ups for him, along with the rest of our stable including Lyndon Arthur, Harlem Eubank and Chloe Watson, who have proved they're ready for title contention. 2023 is going to be a monumental year for Wasserman Boxing!”