JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Josh Kelly successfully defended his IBF junior middleweight championship Saturday night, surviving a gritty challenge from unbeaten Irish contender Caoimhin Agyarko before immediately setting his sights on one of boxing’s biggest names.
Kelly earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory with scorecards of 114-113, 115-112, and 115-112, retaining his title and positioning himself for a potential three-belt unification showdown with unified champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Fresh off his title defense, Kelly made it clear there is only one fight he wants.
“I want it next. People will be smiling looking at that saying: ‘What’s he talking about?’… That’s a tricky night for anyone against Agyarko,” Kelly said after the fight.
The champion believes he’s ready to test himself against the elite of the 154-pound division.
“I want the big names in the division. I’ve already taken out one name in Bakhram Murtazaliev… let me get the other ones. I’m here, man. I’m a champion. I’m IBF [champion] and I’ve just defended.”
Eddie Hearn: Ennis Fight Makes Sense
Promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents both Kelly and Ennis, believes the timing could be perfect for the matchup.
With Kelly having satisfied a title defense, Hearn says the focus should shift toward the biggest opportunities available.
“He’s had a defence of the title and before that mandatory comes again, really you want to be looking at those big money fights and trying to roll the dice,” Hearn said.
Hearn sees a potential American showdown with Ennis as an ideal next step.
“I think that comes with ‘Boots’ Ennis. If I’m Josh Kelly I’m looking at the big payday out in America against ‘Boots’ Ennis. It’s a three-belt unification fight. Sebastian Fundora, all those guys.”
Tough Test Against Agyarko
While Kelly retained his championship, the victory didn’t come easily. The opening rounds were tactical before the pace increased dramatically in the fifth round as Kelly became more aggressive.
Agyarko responded by standing his ground and turning the fight into a competitive battle, refusing to allow the champion to dictate the action. Kelly appeared to be in control early but lost momentum during the middle rounds.
His night became more difficult in the sixth when the referee deducted a point for repeated punches to the back of Agyarko’s head. The penalty energized the challenger, who began landing cleaner combinations while forcing Kelly to work much harder than anticipated.
Bigger Fights Await
The victory keeps Kelly firmly in the conversation among the world’s best junior middleweights. Although the cuts sustained Saturday may require time to heal, the British champion wasted little time making his intentions known.
Whether it’s a lucrative unification bout against Jaron “Boots” Ennis or another elite name such as WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, Kelly believes he’s ready for the biggest challenges the division has to offer.
Saturday’s performance may not have been flawless, but it reinforced one thing Josh Kelly is willing to go through adversity to keep his championship dreams alive, and now he’s looking for the defining fight of his career.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
