JARON ‘BOOTS’ ENNIS VS. JOSH KELLY IS OFFICIAL FOR FEBRUARY 27 IN ATLANTA

BOOTS AND KELLY WILL MEET IN A LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY IN LOS ANGELES – LIVE FROM 1PM PT ON MATCHROOM’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Ennis (36-0 32 KOs) became a two-time, two-weight unified World champion in June with a sensational stoppage win over Xander Zayas at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the Philadelphia superstar owning the WBO and WBA straps by ending the battle in the seventh round. Ennis moved up to 154lbs in October 2025 after becoming unified champion at Welterweight with another dominant win over an undefeated champion, when he added Eimantas Stanionis’ WBA title to his IBF strap by forcing the Lithuanian to retire after six brutal rounds in April in Atlantic City.

Kelly (19-1-1 9 KOs) won the IBF title by taking on the 154lbs boogeyman Bakhram Murtazaliev in January in Newcastle, England, and the Sunderland slickster defended the crown against Caoimhin Agyarko in Saudi Arabia in July. The 32 year old, who represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, comes to the States for the third time for the biggest night of his career to date, having already boxed twice in the States in New York and Arizona.

Boots and Kelly’s showdown will bring the 154lb division closer to having an undisputed champion, with WBC ruler Sebastian Fundora lying in wait for the winner, and both men are confident that they will emerge victorious in Matchroom’s first event in Atlanta.

“It’s that time again!” said Ennis. “I’m adding another belt to the collection! It’s time to look marvelous and put on a beautiful show. 154lbs is MINE! I’m going to keep knocking them down one by one!”

“I’ve waited a very long time to prove myself at the highest level – finally I have that moment!” said Kelly.

“What a fantastic unification fight this is,” said Eddie Hearn. “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.

“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. This is a night not to miss in person or live on TNT and DAZN.”

“The Fight continues to deliver world-class matchups, and it doesn’t get much bigger than this,” said Britton Harding, Head of Boxing, North America at DAZN.

“Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Josh Kelly are two outstanding champions with everything to gain and everything to lose, knowing the winner moves within one fight of becoming undisputed at 154 pounds. Atlanta will play host to one of the defining nights of the boxing calendar, and DAZN is delighted to bring every moment live to fans around the world.”

An announcement on ticket on-sale dates will be made soon, along with undercard news