Josh Kelly and Jaron Ennis set for light-middleweight unification fight in Atlanta
Josh Kelly and Jaron Ennis will fight each other on 27 February in Atlanta, in a light-middleweight unification bout. The winner will be the first man to hold several of the sport's top belts at this weight since Jermell Charlo, who was the last undisputed champion at 154 lb (71 kg) in 2022.
Kelly, 32, holds the IBF world title. He is on a nine-fight winning streak, according to BBC Sport. The Englishman represented Team GB at the 2016 Olympics. His path to the top has not been straight. He lost to David Avanesyan in 2021, then rebuilt through a run of wins.
This year he won his first world title by beating Bakhram Murtazaliev in January. He made his first defence in July, beating Caoimhin Agyarko.
Ennis, 29, holds the WBA and WBO belts and is unbeaten in 37 fights, with one no-contest. A no-contest is a bout that is officially cancelled, so it does not count as a win or a loss. In June he became a two-weight world champion by beating Xander Zayas, which means he has won titles at two different weight limits.
Boxing has four major sanctioning bodies, the organisations that approve title fights and sanction champions. Each can crown its own champion in each weight class. When one fighter holds more than one of those belts, they are called a unified champion. A fighter who holds all four major belts at once is undisputed, which is the rarest status in the sport.
This bout is about putting belts together. Ennis and Kelly are the holders of three of the four major belts at light-middleweight. The WBC belt is held by Sebastian Fundora, so it sits outside this fight. Anyone looking for the full picture at this weight has to watch the wider calendar as well.
Both fighters are promoted by Eddie Hearn, whose company Matchroom Boxing is behind the event. For casual fans, the appeal is simple. Two unbeaten or near-unbeaten names with different routes to the top are meeting in a fight where the belts are on the line. Kelly arrives on a winning run. Ennis arrives with a long unbeaten record and a second weight class already on his resume.
Fight dates, venues and weight limits can still change before the bout takes place, as they often do in boxing. For now, the date is 27 February and the city is Atlanta.
