Josh Kelly Vows to Spoil Boots Ennis Plans in February Unification
Kelly suspects promoter Eddie Hearn wants Ennis to win their February 27 welterweight unification fight in Atlanta.
Josh Kelly knows whose side his promoter is on, and he does not care.
The British welterweight told Ring Magazine that he suspects Eddie Hearn would prefer Jaron "Boots" Ennis to win their February 27 unification bout in Atlanta. Kelly's response: he plans to be bad for business that night, per Boxing News 24.
The comments came during a joint Inside the Ring appearance with Devin Haney, with Hearn sitting beside them. When Haney asked whether Kelly felt Matchroom's full backing in a fight that pits two of its own fighters against each other, Kelly did not hesitate. He said Ennis is good for business in the U.S. market and that a Kelly win would be bad for that business, per Boxing News 24.
Hearn acknowledged the awkwardness, saying he hates matching two of his own fighters because he cannot root for either side. But Hearn also noted that Ennis and his trainer-father Bozy know exactly how good Kelly is, per Boxing News 24.
The matchup is a welterweight unification with real stakes. Ennis is one of the most avoided fighters in boxing, a fan-friendly destroyer who stopped David Avanesyan in five rounds. Avanesyan stopped Kelly in six. That comparison will follow Kelly all the way to Atlanta.
If either man wins convincingly, a potential undisputed fight with Sebastian Fundora could be next, per Boxing News 24.
I love the energy from Josh Kelly here, but let us be honest about what we are looking at. Boots Ennis is a problem. He stopped Avanesyan in five rounds. Avanesyan stopped Kelly in six. That is not a stat you can talk your way around.
Kelly has won fights since that loss, but the scorecards have been generous. The Murtazaliev decision was questionable. The Agyarko fight was ugly. Kelly is a survival boxer who steals rounds late, and that style only works if the other guy lets you hang around long enough to steal them. Boots does not let people hang around.
That said, Kelly calling out the Hearn dynamic is refreshing. Most fighters in his spot would play nice with the promoter. Kelly basically said I know you want the other guy to win, and I am going to ruin it. Whether he can back it up is another question entirely, but at least the fight just got more interesting.
