Ennis Re-Signs With Hearn, Unification Being Lined Up

Unified super welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs) has signed a new seven-fight contract with Matchroom. It paves the way for a further unification against IBF titleholder Josh Kelly, who signed a separate extension with Matchroom, which is targeted for early 2027.

The agreement, announced Tuesday, extends Ennis’ relationship with Eddie Hearn’s promotional company through 2029 and is reportedly worth eight figures.

Ennis, 29, currently holds the WBA and WBO championships at 154 pounds after stopping Xander Zayas earlier this year. The Philadelphia fighter is now expected to face Kelly in a three-belt unification in January or February 2027.

Confirming the agreement, Ennis said it allows him to now concentrate on his immediate goal which is to become the undisputed champion of the 154-pound division.

Ennis joined Matchroom in April 2024. He was already the IBF welterweight champion, having won the interim title with a unanimous decision win over Karen Chuckhadzhian in January 2023, before the IBF elevated him to full champion ahead of his fifth-round retirement of David Avanesyan in July 2024. With Hearn, he unified the welterweight division with a sixth-round retirement of Eimantas Stanionis in April 2025.

Hearn hopes to arrange a fight between Ennis and Kelly before pursuing a potential undisputed championship showdown against WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora later in 2027.