Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Josh Kelly will clash in a junior middleweight world title unification bout on Feb. 27 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Matchroom Boxing confirmed.
- Ennis enters the ring carrying elite 36-0 momentum, maintaining high pound-for-pound status in boxing.
- Kelly shifts into high-stakes underdog territory following his January title victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev.
The upcoming Atlantic card puts Ennis’s WBA and WBO 154-pound titles directly on the line against Kelly’s IBF strap. Matchroom Boxing confirmed the fixture on Wednesday, setting up a global broadcast schedule across DAZN and TNT Sports in the U.S.
Ennis arrives with a spotless 36-0 record featuring 32 knockouts, holding down the No. 8 spot on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. The Philadelphia fighter claimed a career-best Round 7 stoppage against Xander Zayas in Brooklyn earlier this year to cement his status as a two-division unified champion after previously holding welterweight titles.
‼️ OFFICIAL ‼️ 🥊 Jaron “Boots” Ennis 🆚 Josh Kelly 👑 WBA, WBO and IBF junior middleweight unification bout 📅 February 27 📍 Atlanta 📺 DAZN and TNT pic.twitter.com/onWYpTZqDS
Kelly travels from Sunderland, England, holding a 19-1-1 record with nine knockouts after capturing his world title against Murtazaliev in January. His lone defeat came five years ago against David Avanesyan, a rival Ennis has previously stopped. Kelly defended his title against Caoimhin Agyarko in July and called for a fight against Ennis.
Promoter Eddie Hearn framed the matchup as the next step toward an undisputed crown at junior middleweight. “What a fantastic unification fight this is,” Hearn said.
“Boots and Josh are both brilliant World champions and this was not a difficult fight to make when you lay out what is there for the winner — three belts around your waist and just one more to collect to become undisputed at 154 and lay the foundations to a legacy in the sport.”
Hearn added further context regarding the historical weight of the event. “There’s so much incredible action still to come in 2026, but I already cannot wait for February 27, when one of these fantastic champions will take a giant step to landing a shot at becoming an undisputed World ruler in our first ever event in Atlanta,” Hearn said.
| Fighter | Record | Titles on the Line | Key Recent Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaron Ennis | 36-0 (32 KOs) | WBA, WBO (154 lbs) | Xander Zayas (Round 7 stoppage) |
| Josh Kelly | 19-1-1 (9 KOs) | IBF (154 lbs) | Caoimhin Agyarko (July defense) |
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