Josh Kelly and Jaron Ennis set for three-belt unification in Atlanta

Josh Kelly and Jaron Ennis will meet in Atlanta on 27 February in a light-middleweight title unification fight, BBC Sport reported. Britain's Kelly holds the IBF belt, while American Ennis brings the WBA and WBO titles into a contest that will leave the winner with three of the division's four major championships.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM-zDo0xsr0

Kelly, 32, has won nine consecutive fights, a run that includes his first world-title victory in January and a successful defence in July. Ennis, 29, is unbeaten across 37 fights, with one no-contest, according to the BBC. He became a world champion in a second weight division when he defeated Xander Zayas in June.

For Kelly, the announcement follows a rebuilding period after his 2021 defeat by David Avanesyan. The Sunderland boxer represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics before moving into the professional ranks. In comments carried by the BBC, he said he had waited a long time for the opportunity to demonstrate his ability at the highest level.

His breakthrough came against Bakhram Murtazaliev in Newcastle. BBC Sport's report of that January contest recorded a majority-decision victory, with two judges favouring Kelly 115-111 and 114-113 and the third scoring it 113-113. Kelly knocked Murtazaliev down in the fourth round but was himself dropped in the ninth before completing the fight and securing the IBF championship. The result made him Sunderland's first world champion.

Kelly subsequently retained the belt by outpointing Northern Ireland's Caoimhin Agyarko in July. The Atlanta fight now gives him an opportunity to add two further titles against Ennis. Eddie Hearn, who promotes both boxers, said the prospect of holding three belts had helped make the contest straightforward to arrange, according to the BBC's account of the announcement.

The agreement does not make this an undisputed-title fight: Sebastian Fundora holds the WBC championship, which is not among the belts at stake. Whoever wins in Atlanta would still need that title to complete the collection. BBC Sport reported that the division has not had an undisputed champion since Jermell Charlo achieved that status in 2022.