Amid a lengthy interview with Pro Boxing Fans, Eddie Hearn confirmed that plans are in place for super welterweight champions Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Josh Kelly to meet in a three-belt unification in “either December or very early January.”
Kelly’s (19-1-1, 9 KO) trainer, Adam Booth, previously revealed to Tris Dixon that both sides had agreed to all terms and were just waiting on a date and venue. With both fighters competing under the Matchroom banner, there shouldn’t be too many moving parts to manage.
Ennis (36-0, 32 KO) took Uisma Lima behind the woodshed to claim the WBA title in his 154-pound debut last year, then outgunned a brave Xander Zayas to lift the WBO belt in June. Plans for a long-brewing grudge match with Vergil Ortiz Jr, which previously fell apart under stupid circumstances, don’t seem to have regained any steam after Ortiz’s team settled things with Golden Boy.
Hence, it’s belt season.
Kelly appeared to have peaked well below expectations after a 2021 drubbing at the hands of David Avanesyan, and though he did put together a solid winning streak in subsequent years, a narrow escape from Ishmael Davis suggested that the title remained well beyond his reach. To his credit, he gutted out an impressive upset of Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF belt in January before turning aside Caiominh Agyarko in his inaugural defense.
Ennis will be a heavy favorite, but respect to Kelly for taking the challenge. Let’s see if the stars (meaning PBC and DAZN) align enough to pit the winner of this against the winner of Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj later this month.
