Jaron Ennis and Josh Kelly in advanced title unification talks

Jaron Ennis and Josh Kelly are in advanced negotiations for a three-belt junior middleweight unification fight, with November or December being considered. An East Coast venue is the target before the end of the year, Chris Mannix said.

Ennis holds the WBA and WBO titles, while Kelly is the IBF champion. The proposed bout would put all three belts on the line and offer Ennis the opportunity to add Kelly’s title to his collection.

Kelly’s position has become more urgent after his most recent fight. On July 25, he took a narrow unanimous decision over Caoimhin Agyarko in Jeddah, but absorbed heavy punishment during the 12-round contest. The performance came with a nose injury, although Ennis’ team and Matchroom believe Kelly will recover before training camp.

Agyarko is ranked 15th by the IBF, and Kelly struggled to control him despite the ranking gap. The champion also faced criticism after his title victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev in Newcastle, where he was dropped in the ninth round and appeared to spend long periods avoiding exchanges. Murtazaliev landed the heavier punches but lost on two judges’ scorecards.

The IBF rankings contain several possible threats to Kelly’s reign, including Brandon Adams, Murtazaliev, Nikita Tszyu, Israil Madrimov, Ben Mahoney and Xander Zayas. Milan Prat, Giovani Santillan, Yan Marcos, Pavel Sosulin, Ibrahima Diallo and Bilal Fawaz are also positioned above Agyarko.

For Kelly, the proposed unification could provide a larger financial opportunity than another lower-profile title defence, but it would bring a sharper sporting challenge. Ennis is regarded as having greater speed, power, combination punching and offensive variety. Kelly’s nose will also need to hold up through camp, as a setback during sparring could delay the fight.