Boots Ennis Re-Signs With Matchroom, Hours After Josh Kelly Did the Same

Jaron "Boots" Ennis is staying put too.

Matchroom Boxing announced Tuesday afternoon that Ennis has signed a multi-year contract extension with the promoter. "BOOTS RENEWS," Matchroom posted on X, adding that there are "big plans for the Unified World Super Welterweight Champion." The official graphic billed it as a "multi-year contract extension" for the multi-weight champion. Matchroom didn't disclose the length or the money involved.

The timing isn't an accident. A few hours earlier, Matchroom announced that IBF champion Josh Kelly had signed his own new multi-fight deal, which we covered here. Ennis holds the WBA and WBO titles at 154 pounds and Kelly holds the IBF belt, per The Ring's current list of junior middleweight champions. With both men now locked in long term, the three-belt unification between them looks a lot closer.

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That fight has been talked about for months. Back in August, The Ring reported that Eddie Hearn had said an Ennis-Kelly unification was in play. Boxing News has since said it's slated for early 2027. No date or venue has been announced yet.

WHO'S WAITING

The last belt at 154 belongs to WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, who kept it with a stoppage of Ermal Hadribeaj in the final seconds on Oct. 17. Hearn has said he wants the Ennis-Kelly winner to face Fundora, and we've been tracking that one here. Fundora's promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, has already said he wants a 50-50 split for a fight with Ennis. So there's a path to an undisputed champion at 154, but a lot still has to get done first.

For now, the news is simple. Matchroom has both of its 154-pound champions signed, and the fight between them is the obvious next step.

Check out Ennis's Boxbid page, and tell us in the Boxbid community who you like in Ennis vs. Kelly. Once it gets a date, don't forget to guess the rounds for free points.

Sources: Matchroom Boxing on X, Oct. 20, 2026 (announcement and official graphic); The Ring on X, Oct. 18, 2026 (current 154-pound champions); The Ring on X, Aug. 9, 2026 (Hearn on Ennis-Kelly); Boxing News (Lewkowicz 50-50, early 2027 timing).