American star could be set to face British former 2016 Olympian.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (35-0 (1), 31 KOs) is one of American boxing’s most destructive forces. Tipped by many to be a future pound-for-pound star, the 28-year-old is yet another addition to Philadelphia’s long line of pugilistic products.
In April of last year, he became the unified welterweight champion with a stoppage of WBA beltholder Eimantas Stanionis, snapping the Lithuanian’s undefeated record and breathing new life into a division that many had considered barren following the departure of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.
It wasn’t long later that Ennis himself departed the division in search of pastures anew, vacating his titles and moving up to super-welterweight.
It was at this weight class that Ennis demolished Uisma Lima in a single round, scooping up the WBA interim title along the way.
Since then, discussions of a fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) have been very rough going, with many wishing for a clash between the two unbeaten U.S. knockout artists to be finalised to determine the next in line for a title shot.
Because of this, Ennis may have to start exploring alternative options, and one potential candidate will be in action this Saturday.
Josh ‘Pretty Boy’ Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs) will be squaring off against Russian boogeyman Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) at the Newcastle Arena in a challenge for the IBF super-welterweight title.
A 2016 Summer Olympian, Kelly is entering his test against Murtazaliev as a sizable underdog. Pulling off the upset would net him not just the world title, but a potential fight with Jaron Ennis himself.
This is because Eddie Hearn has revealed in a recent interview with iFL TV that Kelly has already signed to fight Ennis, a testament to his confidence going into his upcoming title challenge.
Ennis owns a stoppage victory over David Avanesyan, who is currently the only man to possess a win over Josh Kelly. Should Kelly do the incredible this week, a fight between him and Ennis would present boxing fans with a very interesting clash of styles.
On the other hand, if Murtazaliev wins, a battle involving Ennis and the man who destroyed Tim Tszyu would be another one to get excited about.
Whoever Jaron Ennis fights next, all attention will be on this week’s throwdown between the Russian and the Sunderland ‘Pretty Boy’.
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