DUBLIN, Ireland – Eddie Hearn has said it is likely we see a WBA, WBO and IBF junior middleweight unification between Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Josh Kelly in late 2026.

A bout between the two has been an option since Kelly claimed the IBF title with a win over Bakhram Murtazaliev back in January. Part of Kelly’s contract with Matchroom Boxing was an already agreed-upon option to defend his title against Ennis. Ennis would then go on to face WBA and WBO 154lbs champion Xander Zayas in June, stopping the Puerto Rican and claiming both belts. With both men owning versions of junior middleweight titles and under the same promotional umbrella a unification seems an easy next step. 

“I think it’s 80 per cent likely that Josh Kelly vs. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will happen in November or December of this year,” Hearn said.

This follows Hearn revealing last month Ennis’ desire to unify against Kelly and then take on WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora to become undisputed at 154lbs.

“[Ennis] wants to fight Josh Kelly, then he wants to fight Fundora for undisputed straight off the bat,” Hearn said. “So all he’s interested in doing is becoming the undisputed [junior middleweight] champion. Josh Kelly is up for the fight. He obviously had a terrible injury in that fight, which has been… the job they’ve done on that is unbelievable. Still needs a little bit of time to heal. Adam Booth’s telling us he’ll be ready November, December. If he is, that’s a fight for Philadelphia or maybe Atlanta. A big unification fight. I think that’s very likely that we’ll see that fight next.”

Fundora spoke to BoxingScene on Saturday about a potential undisputed battle with Ennis.

“Now that PBC is with DAZN it seems like all these unifications have to be made,” Fundora said. “I hear Kelly and ‘Boots’ are fighting, so maybe I will be the last piece. I’m not sure if [a fight with ‘Boots’] will be this year, it will probably be early next year, but we’re excited for that fight.”

Ennis was in negotiations with junior middleweight rival Vergil Ortiz Jnr prior to his contest against Zayas, but talks broke down due to a legal dispute between Ortiz’s team and his promoter Golden Boy. Hearn says Ennis is now focused on claiming the remaining titles, rather than revisiting a bout with Ortiz.

“Look, there’s been a lot of talk about the Vergil Ortiz fight, and that’s a fight that ‘Boots’ is happy to take if he can’t get another champion,” Hearn said. “But the reality is that all he wants to do is get his hands on another belt, and undisputed, and then probably move to 160lbs.”