Josh Kelly: 'I know Eddie's favourite's probably Boots' as Haney puts him on the spot

With Eddie Hearn at the same desk, Kelly said he wants to be "bad for business" on the night, and Hearn called a Sebastian Fundora fight for the winner "the natural fight".

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Fri 13 Nov, 00:27 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Josh Kelly on The Ring's Inside the Ring show — Photo: The Ring / DAZN

Josh Kelly said Eddie Hearn, who promotes both men, probably favours his opponent when Devin Haney asked him on The Ring's Inside the Ring show whether Hearn can look after him in his fight with Jaron "Boots" Ennis.

Haney, who was promoted by Hearn when he fought Regis Prograis, put the question to Kelly with Hearn sitting at the desk. "When I fought Regis, Eddie had me. He was representing me, he was promoting me, and he was promoting Regis," Haney said. "And I felt like he had my best interest in the fight. Now he's promoting you, he's promoting Boots."

He asked: "Do you feel like he can have your best interest and Boots' best interest in this fight?"

Kelly said: "I know Eddie's favourite's probably Boots. He's good for business in the US. He's big here in the US." He added that he wants to be "bad for business that night for the US".

Hearn said: "Josh wants the biggest fights, the most amount of money, and the biggest nights. It's our job to deliver that." He said he never likes "putting two guys in together because really, I wanna sit there and scream and shout and you can't even do that", adding: "I like Boots, I've got a long-standing relationship with Josh. Mate, this is sport. Over to you boys."

Later in the show Hearn told Haney: "You're giving the tough questions trying to get me in trouble." Haney replied: "I'm not trying to get you in trouble."

Asked whether a deal was in place for the winner to fight WBC champion Sebastian Fundora next, Hearn said he is "not the promoter of Fundora" but that "Fundora wants to fight undisputed". He called it "the natural fight" and "a natural progression with the broadcaster, with DAZN, to go and fight Fundora in June, July, wherever it is", and said: "Josh is two wins away from undisputed, as is Boots."

Hearn added that Kelly would be telling him to "forget Las Vegas" and bring Fundora to the Stadium of Light in the summer. "He'll do 70,000, man," Hearn said.

Kelly, the IBF super-welterweight champion from Sunderland, puts his title on the line against WBA and WBO champion Ennis in a three-belt unification at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday 27 February, live on DAZN.

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Sebastian Fundora