Josh Kelly eyes Jaron Ennis unification fight
Kelly says he'll be ready to face Boots Ennis if he wins this weekend.
Josh Kelly seems open to a unification bout with Jaron Ennis, provided he wins his next fight.
Josh Kelly is the current IBF super-welterweight world champion. He must defend this title on the undercard of Anthony Joshua and Kristian Prenga’s bout against Caoimhín Agyarko in order to even be considered for a potential unification bout.
Jaron Ennis defeated Xander Zayas in June by technical knockout in the 7th round, becoming the WBO and WBA world champion. With this victory, he became a world champion in a second weight class and also moved far up the rankings.
Josh Kelly likely wants to challenge that very position. He said that if he wins this weekend, he’d definitely be ready for the fight. He also said:
“I've matured tenfold on top of that now. They already know how I box, how and who I am so I'd love that. I’ve got utmost respect for Boots but this is a fight game and when it's me versus you, all the respect goes out the window. I'm in there to do a job and do my job clinically”
which also shows that he is quite confident in himself. This was further confirmed when the conversation turned to the competition in the super welterweight division. That division has grown significantly lately and features many strong names, such as Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr.. However, he says he definitely sees himself right at the top of the division.
“I think outside of me I'd probably say the top two guys would be Boots or I mean, Fundora's a freak so Fundora's got to be in the conversation or Ortiz. So you've got them guys there but I put myself right amongst them, right amongst them in the mix”
said Josh Kelly.
So if he wins his fight this weekend, the unification bout could theoretically really happen. Jaron Ennis should also have plenty of reasons to agree to a fight, given the possibility of unification.
We’ll have to wait and see what ultimately happens.
I think it would be cool if Josh Kelly wins his fight and that opens the door to a fight with Jaron Ennis. It would be an incredibly big opportunity for both of them, and I’d just love to see that happen. What do you guys think?