Josh Kelly kept his IBF super welterweight belt the hard way, beating Caoimhin Agyarko by unanimous decision in Jeddah before immediately pointing at Jaron “Boots” Ennis and the 154-pound unification pile.
Kelly did not exactly leave the ring looking fresh from a spa day. His nose was busted, his face was marked up, and Agyarko made him earn all 12 rounds. The judges still had it for Kelly by 114-113, 115-112, and 115-112, giving him the first defense of the IBF title he took from Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Watch Kelly’s post-fight interview below.
AND STILL!!!! 🏆
Josh Kelly gets the unanimous decision win over Agyarko!
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Kelly was asked about Ennis on the DAZN broadcast, and even with blood still on his face, he did not reach for the easy answer.
“I want it next. People will be smiling looking at that saying: ‘What’s he talking about?’ That’s a tricky night for anyone. 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.”
Kelly Won Ugly, Then Asked For The Monster
The fight itself was a rough one. Agyarko came in unbeaten, forced messy exchanges, and made the champion work through a cut that opened badly in the ninth round. Kelly also had a point deducted in the sixth for rabbit punching, so this was not some clean showcase where everyone nods politely and moves on.
That is what makes the Ennis callout spicy. Ennis holds the WBA and WBO belts at junior middleweight after Eddie Hearn talked up his pound-for-pound upside, and he has the kind of speed and spite that can turn a brave idea into a medical appointment. Kelly is 19-1-1 with 9 knockouts after this win. Agyarko dropped to 18-1 with 7 knockouts after his first pro defeat.
Hearn did not kill the idea on the broadcast, either. He said Kelly should chase the biggest fights while he has a belt, with Ennis sitting there as the obvious money roll.
“You want to be looking at those big money fights and trying to roll the dice. I think that comes with Boots Ennis.”
Hearn also pointed out that Kelly’s nose could complicate the timeline, but floated December as possible if the medical side clears. That is promoter math, obviously, but it tells you the room was already thinking bigger than a routine voluntary defense.
The Jeddah card had already been a weird little violence buffet, with Anthony Joshua surviving danger before flattening Kristian Prenga and Hamzah Sheeraz squeezing past Simon Zachenhuber. Kelly added the bloody belt-defense chapter, then somehow used it as his audition tape for Boots.
That is bold. It might also be a little mad. But boxing is usually more fun when a champion with a busted face still wants the biggest problem in the room.
