JOSH KELLY believes he can sell out Sunderland’s Stadium of Light if he lands a major fight there.
The Sunderland-born superfan captured the IBF light-middleweight title last month after defeating Bakhram Murtazaliev in Newcastle.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Kelly opened up on the emotional rollercoaster he has been on since winning the title and gracing his boyhood club’s pitch.
Kelly said: “Number one preference is getting that fight at the Stadium of Light. I think we can sell that place out.
“The city on the whole has their football and now they’ve got their first world champion to ever come from Sunderland.”
Kelly took to the Stadium of Light pitch just two days after winning his first world title and paraded his belt at half-time of the Mackem’s 3-0 win over Burnley.
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That experience has only strengthened his desire to fight on the hallowed turf.
He added: “I wouldn’t class them as fans, they’re friends. I look out at the crowd and I see people I went to school with – it’s crazy.
“I never get emotional and I started crying. I cried a couple of days in a row at different things and different moments but that then was crazy.
“Going out in the stadium and spotting people I went to school with, fans – and people I didn’t know were coming up to me and everyone was behind us.
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“Sunderland is from the ground up. Sunderland is where I come from – the ground – and I’ve made my way to the top. So to get a big night back there would be a dream come true for me.”
Kelly was invited to meet with Sunderland officials on the day of their game with Burnley to discuss fighting at the ground.
The Premier League stadium holds 48,707 people, a number that would surely increase to host a boxing event.
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith received a text from the club moments after Kelly’s victory that he revealed to the fighter in the post-fight press conference.
Smith said: “They’ve said ‘Let’s get it on, Stadium of Light next.
“Club [is] inviting Josh into the boardroom on Monday and let’s get the fight made there.”
Kelly has stated he would be interested in fighting Conor Benn next or trying to begin unifying the division with WBO and WBA champion Xander Zayas.