![jaron Ennis [left] and Josh Kelly are set to fight on February 27 in Atlanata](/img/v1/1920?src=https%3A%2F%2Fphoto2.boxingscene.com%2Fuploads%2Fjaron-ennis-left-and-josh-kelly-are-set-to-fight-on-9g39vd.webp)
Josh Kelly, 'healing up nicely', wants Jaron Ennis by end of year
Aug 1, 2026 • 10:22 AM ET
Mark Robinson/Matchroom BoxingThere is only one man Josh Kelly wants to fight before the year is out, and the IBF junior middleweight champion is aiming high.
Kelly, coming off a bloody win over Irishman Caoimhin Agyarko last week, wants to fight Philadelphia star Jaron “Boots” Ennis by the end of 2026.
Ennis, meanwhile, is riding high after he stopped Xander Zayas in seven thrilling rounds at the Barclays Center in Brookly on June 27.
“I’m healing up nicely,” said Kelly. “I’m getting the stitches out on Monday and [trainer] Adam [Booth] says I should be healed up in eight weeks’ time. Boots is the one I want next.
“Obviously that’s a huge fight, he’s a great athlete, a great competitor, and it will be great to be able to put a performance on in America and show people what I can do against the best.”
Kelly, aged 32, is now 19-1-1 (9 KOs), and he won the title against Bakhram Murtazaliev earlier in the year.
His face was a bloody mask after numerous headclashes with Agyarko last week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ennis improved to 36-0 (32 KOs) with the June victory over Zayas that earned him the WBO and WBA belts. Like Kelly, he is promoted by Matchroom.
Sebastian Fundora is the WBC champion, and Vergil Ortiz is lying in wait for major fights having healed his rift with Golden Boy Promotions.
Kelly and Ennis shared an exchange on X this week when Ennis said: “Congrats @JOSHPBK see you soon!”
The Sunderland man replied: “Thank you man. Let’s get this fight sorted for the end of the year god willing all healed up. Respect.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
