Key points:
- Trainer Adam Booth says Josh Kelly will recover from facial cuts within eight weeks, in time to fight before year’s end
- Booth wants a unification fight against Jaron Ennis over a routine IBF title defence
- Booth ruled out an Ennis alternative, Sebastian Fundora, due to Fundora’s own mandatory obligation
- Kelly’s win over Caoimhin Agyarko on July 25 left him with cuts over both eyes
Josh Kelly is expected to recover from the facial cuts suffered in his bloody win over Caoimhin Agyarko within eight weeks, according to trainer Adam Booth, clearing the way for a push toward a unification fight before year’s end.
“Fortunately, because of the surgeon Neil Scott, he did a fantastic job. He used little stitches and a few of them to speed up the repair and the healing process, and Josh is going to be healed in eight weeks, which means that certainly by the end of the year he’ll be okay,” Booth told talkSPORT Boxing.
With the recovery timeline settled, Booth is focused on landing a fight with unified IBF and WBA junior middleweight champion Jaron Ennis rather than another routine defence. He ruled out an alternative unification bout against WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, citing Fundora’s own mandatory obligations elsewhere.
“Josh wants to unify, whether that’s Boots or whether that’s Fundora. Now I don’t think it can be Fundora this year because I think he’s doing his WBC mandatory,” Booth said. “Boots doesn’t have a fight scheduled. He’s with Matchroom. He said he wants to fight Josh. Yes. Yeah, I absolutely do. I want Josh to have the chance to prove just how good he is. There is no one in the division that’s a better challenge to do that than Boots Ennis, who is the most accomplished and proven champion in the division.”
Booth also revealed the two sides had previously agreed to a fight before it fell through, suggesting a deal could come together more easily the second time around now that Kelly’s recovery has a firm timeline attached.