Respected boxing promoter, Nisse Sauerland, returns with an interesting card from the Newcastle Arena on Friday evening.
Dubbed Fast and Furious, a busy programme from Tyne and Wear will be broadcast live on terrestrial television, thanks to Channel 5. Josh Kelly headlines when facing Romanian Flavius Biea in a contest scheduled for ten rounds.
Kelly is the main attraction for many of the fans packed inside the stadium, with millions more following live on TV. The popular local fighter is back on the big stage after almost a year on the sidelines, but understands he must win and impress when doing so. All the pressure is on Pretty Boy, but will he rise to the occasion or shrink under the lights?
The leading online sportsbooks have Kelly as their firm favourite, with traders predicting a comfortable outing. Will Friday fight night go as planned? Former professional boxer and talkSPORT writer, Frankie Monkhouse, offers his predictions. Keep reading for an in-depth preview of Josh Kelly vs Flavius Biea.
Kelly vs Biea odds
Kelly is priced like losing isn’t an option. It’s easy to see how oddsmakers have arrived at that decision, but experienced followers of professional boxing know it’s a dangerous stance. Anything can happen in prizefighting, especially before a live TV audience. Will Kelly live up to the hype and prove he has plenty to offer the sport and the super welterweight division? Perhaps you prefer a gamble on the underdog upsetting the odds?
The easiest way to gamble on boxing is to take advantage of the fight-winner market. Here’s the latest online betting odds available on Kelly vs Biea.
- Josh Kelly – 1/25 at bet365
- Draw – 28/1 at bet365
- Flavius Biea – 12/1 at bet365
The odds displayed in the table above come from the bet365 website and are correct at the time of writing. When making your predictions, it’s worth knowing that boxing betting odds are subject to change. The offer we see when writing the article may differ from the price available when you’re placing bets. With many big bouts, it’s smart to pick sides and get your stake down as early as possible.
When betting on the fight-winner market, you have a one-in-three chance of making a profit. One boxer is working in your favour as he carries your stake, going up against the opponent and the draw. Betting on the fight winner doesn’t always bring the best odds, especially when following the favourite.
Still, it’s often a more reliable approach than playing the specials, and you can add picks from several bouts to create a boxing accumulator. The leading bookmakers offer odds on the main event and the best of the undercard.
Kelly will duck between the ropes this weekend as the higher-ranked fighter with the better record, the backing of a loyal support and the opportunity to challenge for major honours this year. Will he get the win needed to place him on a collision course with fellow Brit Conor Benn? Perhaps he’d prefer to go global, facing world number one Terence Crawford in 2025. Josh remains a respected name in world boxing, but he must make up for lost time.
Suppose you decide you can’t back Kelly at such cramped odds and prefer to roll the dice on a plucky underdog. If you back Biea to win, it doesn’t matter how he gets the result, as long as his hand is raised at the end of the fight. But if Kelly wins or the bout ends level, you’re bet loses and the bookie keeps your stake.
A £10 bet on Biea to win at 12/1 with bet365 will return £130 – £120 plus your stake – if the Romanian pulls off the upset.
Pretty Boy plans to dazzle the crowd
Josh Kelly makes the short journey from his home in Sunderland to the Newcastle Arena, looking to get 2025 off to a winning start. Kelly was once among the most promising domestic fighters on the scene, and played his part in some fantastic bouts since making his professional debut in 2017, but it’s been far from plain sailing for Pretty Boy. The 5’10” orthodox boxer’s career has stuttered, fighting just twice and completing only 14 rounds in the last two years.
Since beating Gabriel Alberto Corzo in Newcastle a couple of summers ago, Josh stopped Placido Ramirez inside the opening two rounds of a December 2023 bout at the Beacon of Light, Sunderland. He then took part in his most recent outing when beating Ishmael Davis on points over a dozen rounds. Kelly won last summer at Wembley Stadium on the undercard of Daniel Dubois vs Anthony Joshua, but was pushed hard, needing a majority decision to maintain his winning streak.
The cards at the conclusion of a 12-round battle at the home of English football read 115-113, 115-114, 114-114, demonstrating just how tight it was. Margins of two rounds, one round and a draw suggested a rematch, but Team Kelly have bigger fish to fry. There may be no recognised championship belt on the line here, but Friday offers something much more important than silver. It’s a real opportunity to return to the ring and show there’s plenty more left in the tank ahead of a huge year.
Stats:
- Age: 31 years old
- Height: 5’10”
- Weight: Super Welterweight
- Record: 16-1-1
Romanian arrives on a winning run
He may not be a household name with British boxing fanatics, but Flavius Biea knows he has an opportunity to change all that. Win on Friday out of the “away” corner and the Romanian will surge up the rankings, opening the door for some money-spinning bouts against other established names, former champions, and promising talent. Being the man who beat Josh Kelly would be worth its weight in gold to the visitor.
Biea arrives in the United Kingdom from Timisoara with an impressive professional boxing record showing 24 wins against one defeat. The 5’9” orthodox boxer has 148 professional rounds under his belt, carries a fearsome knockout average, and comes to prove he’s good enough to mix it in elite company. Unbeaten since 2017, there’s no lack of confidence in the Team Biea camp ahead of the opening bell.
The only blot on Flavius Biea’s copybook was a 12th-round stoppage defeat to Ukraine’s useful Valentyn Golovko in Romania near the end of 2017. With the bout heading to a points decision, Golovko ripped the call away from the scorers sitting at ringside by ending things in the final few seconds of the contest. Since that defeat, Biea has fought 12 and won 12, collecting the IBA world middleweight strap and the WBC Latino. He’s certainly no mere opponent, as his record proves.
Stats:
- Age: 35 years old
- Height: 5’9″
- Weight: Super Welterweight
- Record: 24-1-1
Kelly vs Biea betting tips
Now we have the form and figures of both men, let’s turn our attention to the betting. The top bookmakers offer several interesting pre-fight and live markets on Kelly vs Biea, but which are the best? We’re looking for picks that give you the strongest chance of making a profit while limiting the risk to your stake.
Kelly by KO/TKO
I expect Kelly vs Biea to go beyond the middle rounds, with neither man in a rush to attack early. The stats show Biea’s last outing went beyond the seventh round, as did four of Kelly’s last five. Having said that, I am picking the Englishman to win this bout inside the distance, impressing the crowd and proving he’s a major player in the division.
Josh brings a 50% KO average from 16 wins, with his most recent stoppage coming against Placido Ramirez in December 2023 in Sunderland. Kelly has knockout power, but his style and work rate mean he often overwhelms his opponents, beating them into submission.
Kelly will settle into this bout and find his range early, firing crisp jabs. With Biea up against it, he’ll take risks in the middle to late rounds, gifting a sharp Kelly the opportunity to land counters. Our pick has the skills, speed and power to ensure he isn’t relying on the judges. He’d also love to return with a KO win before his fans.
Back Josh Kelly to win by KO/TKO at 8/11 with bet365
How to watch Kelly vs Biea
- Location: Newcastle Arena, Tyne and Wear, England.
- Date and time: Friday, 6th June 2025 at 21:00 GMT
- How to watch: Live on Channel Five
Kelly vs Biea full card
- Josh Kelly vs Flavius Biea – Super welterweight
- Niall Brown vs Matt McCallum – Super middleweight
- Ben Marksby vs Nicolas Ariel Blanco – Super lightweight
- Felix Cash vs Rolando Wenceslao Mansilla – Middleweight
- Cyrus Pattinson vs Joe Garside – Welterweight
- Tom Welland vs Mauricio Vera Perez – Featherweight
- Lucas Roehrig vs Sofiane Quoit – Cruiserweight
- Codie Smith vs Mario Valenzuela Portillo – Super featherweight
- Lee Rogers vs Charles Tondo – Bantamweight
- Dan Toward vs Connor Goulding – Super welterweightMatty Harris vs Dan Garber – Heavyweight
- J’Hon Ingram vs Tatenda Mangombe – Lightweight
About the author
Frank Monkhouse
Frank is a former professional boxer at the renowned TKO Gym in London who has transitioned his career into sports betting writing. He has worked with some of the leading names in the industry, including world-renowned bookmakers and ambitious affiliates. A student of the formbook, he leans heavily on the stats and trends to help find readers the value.
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