Former Olympian Josh Kelly made his return to the ring on June 17 after 16 months out of the ring. The Brit was defeated by David Avanesyan in February 2021 but returned to the ring with a bang on the Nathan Gorman vs. Tomas Salek card.
Kelly dominated Peter Kramer and eventually earned a stoppage in the fourth round following a constant flurry of uppercuts.
Kelly's new promoter Wasserman Boxing hasn't hesitated in getting their fighter an opponent for his next fight as he's set to face Lucas Bastida on July 30. The Argentinian will face 'Pretty Boy' in Newcastle at the Vertu Motors Arena, with former Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers also on the card in his home city.
The Sauerland brothers posted confirmation on their Instagram, with a caption saying:
"Fight confirmed: @joshkelly07 leads the #NorthEastTakeover on July 30th in Newcastle. Tickets available via link in bio."
View the official post here:
Josh Kelly vs. Lucas Bastida - A closer look
Both athletes are yet to reach the primes of their careers as the Argentinian is 25-years-old, with the Brit being three years older.
Kelly holds a record of 11-1-1 with seven of his wins coming via knockout, giving him a knockout rate of 53.85%. Meanwhile, Bastida holds a record of 18-1-1 with 10 victories coming before the bell. This gives him a knockout percentage of 50%.
Both athletes have suffered a draw and a loss as professionals with both of their losses coming by stoppage. Josh Kelly's defeat came against Avanesyan in the sixth-round but looked to be largely caused by fatigue. His draw came against Ray Robinson in 2019 on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.
Bastida's knockout loss came against Hugo Alberto Roldan in 2018, in the third-round, however it was his fourth professional bout against an unbeaten fighter. The 25-year-old's draw was against unbeaten Juan Manuel Taborda in 2021.
Watch Josh Kelly vs. Ray Robinson here: