Jaron Ennis vs Josh Kelly - FULL Kick Off Press Conference & Face Off Video

[0:05] have been completely taking over the world of boxing especially in america and we're coming out [0:10] red hot in 2027 we're going to absolutely destroy everybody we want to see more champions more [0:17] unifications more undisputed clashes as well and that's the name of the game the best v the best [0:24] champions against champions and we're already putting that roster together we're putting [0:29] those calendar fights together to announce two subscribers and fight fans all across america [0:36] and we are delighted today to have the first press conference for really the first mega fight [0:41] of 2027 february the 27th state farm arena in atlanta is the big three belt unification fight [0:50] between the reigning wba and wbo world champion jaron boots ennis 36 and 0 against england's ibf [0:59] world champion josh pretty boy kelly this is what we want to see we want to see the best [1:05] v the best champion versus champion both these guys i've had the pleasure of working with for a long [1:12] time josh kelly signed with us from his debut after coming out of the olympics a phenomenal talent and [1:19] last year he did what many felt was the impossible he took on the fight against the reigning ibf world [1:25] champion mert solayev everyone thought he was mad i'll be honest me included he absolutely [1:30] stood him on his head for me the standout performance at 154 pounds in 2026 but this guy [1:38] might say otherwise because what he did was light up barclays center in brooklyn with i think one of [1:45] the performances of the year as well against zander zayas who's here today as well great fighter [1:49] moving up to middleweight to become the unified champion many talking about boots ennis is the next [1:55] pound for pound superstar of the sport and since we signed him and since they told us he doesn't sell [2:02] in philadelphia well he racked up 17 000 then he racked up 15 000 then we had a little poodle down [2:10] to atlantic city he broke the record at the boardwalk hall i think 14 000 then 17 000 in the barclays center [2:17] and he said to me for a while this tour that he's on at the moment particularly on the east coast [2:21] he said i want to go to atlanta i feel like this is a great fight city and it's been years and years [2:27] since a male unified world championship fight i think going back to evander holifield was the last [2:33] time a unified men's world championship was fought for in atlanta it's a brilliant fight city and this [2:38] is a brilliant fight and before we talk to both teams as well i just want to thank the zone as well [2:44] because this fight if you understand the commercial aspects of the sport this relationship now with tnt [2:50] is so important to make these guys superstars to be able to grow the sport of boxing and show everyone [2:57] how great it is we need the biggest viewership possible so tomorrow night live on tnt we're racking [3:03] up a huge viewership across america it's great news for diego pacheco it's great news for the whole card [3:09] but on february the 27th in a fight that would normally be pay-per-view on the zone which is great [3:17] but you do limit your audience the zone had bigger ideas tnt had bigger ideas so this fight feb 27th [3:26] will be live and exclusive on tnt and the zone in front of a massive audience across america for what [3:34] is a very important fight which we know will lead to sebastian fundora for the undisputed championship [3:40] so first to the ibf champion adam we'll start with you you rarely get it wrong but you always want the [3:47] biggest challenges and and when i spoke to you about the mertzalaya fight you said to me we'll beat him [3:52] we'll beat him make the fight we'll beat him i guess by your own admission this is a new challenge now [3:58] perhaps a tougher challenge in boots ennis but one that you and josh have called for and are ready for [4:03] in february oh absolutely it's a much more complete challenge mertazali have actually took to break down [4:10] and come up with a game plan for him was relatively simple and it was just about keeping the discipline [4:14] of a simple game plan what you have with boots is a fighter that has a multitude of styles he's very [4:19] strong very accurate he has a very high iq and he's also done it the traditional way if you look at [4:24] his early career how he and his dad stayed away from the big promoters did it their way because they [4:29] believed and they backed themselves that once they got there they were going to prove their point [4:33] josh kelly's journey is completely different came out the olympics phenomenal talent and his route [4:39] to this moment in time is a different one every route is different but once you get to that moment [4:44] in time and you have that ultimate challenge put in front of you that's where you get the chance to [4:49] genuinely truly prove under the biggest light and the biggest stress just how good you are and that's [4:55] why josh and i are absolutely delighted excited and appreciative to be at this moment in time you've [5:01] always championed the skill set of josh kelly and and his ability as a fighter and it seems like every [5:07] time he steps up on the bigger nights he always raised right rises to the level we saw that against [5:12] mertz alive is that what you expect and he'll need to do against boots but you believe you get the very [5:17] best of him in the biggest challenges that's it and and it's kind of like a curse as well as a [5:21] privilege to have a fighter that does raise his level as the level raises in front of him the downside [5:27] is that sometimes he drops his level when the stimulus isn't there so that's why again like i said like [5:32] i'm excited for the challenge i really am i appreciate it josh knows what he can do and i've known from day [5:37] one when he was sharing the ring before his first pro fight in the gym with world middleweight [5:41] champions and people like that i've known what he's got it was just that he had to evolve as a [5:45] man and a fighter to get to this moment in time that's his journey but make no mistake i am absolutely [5:52] convinced that he is ready for this moment josh before we go to you bozi we'll head over to you [5:59] welcome um i know because you've been in part of the conversations as well how much you rate [6:03] josh kelly as a fighter i think you might have said to me before you think this is probably [6:07] the difficultest or the most difficult fight in the championship i fought him before with uh [6:11] ray robinson and he fought to a draw so you know what that meant when he fought mertz alive i think [6:18] you said that you believed that he could beat him and he did that in style we know yeah i told him [6:22] yeah i knew he was gonna beat that guy people weren't box he's a good boxer man always keen to fight [6:28] mertz alive he stepped up coming off the performance at the barclay center against zander zayas a very [6:34] important moment to pick up another belt absolutely and like i told same when it came to zander i said [6:41] i mean if you come there and act like you want to fight he'll fight you he'll box you he do he do [6:47] everything you know i mean that's what happened you know i mean he's a good fighter too you know i ain't [6:51] you know i don't talk about no fighters all of them to me is good fighters so you know that's all i [6:55] want to do is is fight that's all we want to do is fight all that talking and smack and all that we don't [7:00] do that when you reflect on that incredible night at the barclay center how do you look at boots's [7:06] performance i mean he lit up the place it was absolutely electric especially the third round [7:11] as well but a dominant display and a big moment in his career yeah and i told you what was going to [7:15] happen i told you boots was going to stop him he's going to knock him out so what's going to happen in [7:20] this fight oh it's going to be a good fight but you know it's good i don't know how you're going to [7:25] come out it all depends on how he come out and if he come out boxing moving you know it's going to be a [7:29] little difficult from the beginning but later on down the line it's going to be the same situation [7:37] josh you've been calling for this fight for a long time we actually had it in our contract when you [7:41] re-signed with us before you fought mertz alive you said you wanted to fight mertz alive then fight [7:46] boots it was an easy deal to make you did what many feel was the impossible to win that world title [7:51] against mertz live and now you want it all you want to gamble it all for the unified world championship [7:57] yeah i'm in the sport to test myself against the best and i believe me and boots share skills at [8:03] the top level which is the best in our division so there's no better place to do it in atlanta [8:09] and usa and try and see who comes the best on that night i believe in myself he'll hardly believe in [8:15] himself our evolution's been different but we're here now and we're going to find out i think many [8:22] believe you are one of the most skilled fighters in the sport as well you've got a great iq i know [8:26] you watch and appreciate boxing as well is that really attractive to you to test yourself against [8:33] someone with the ability of jerome boots ennis yeah i mean a lot of the guys i've boxed in the past [8:37] have got the same hard hitting come forward style and boots has something different as well as me i don't [8:43] believe he's fought anyone with my skill set or style and i haven't fought anyone with his skill set or [8:49] style yet so it's going to be interesting night it's going to be like a violent dance in some sense [8:54] but yeah i can't wait man i really can't do you feel a lack of pressure going in i know you put the [9:00] pressure on yourself adam will put the pressure on everybody's talking about boots as the new pound [9:05] for pound star of the sport you are going to be the underdog going into this fight you can go in [9:09] and do your thing i mean pressure always comes from the outside so it's it's never from within it's [9:16] always from the outside so you've got to deal with it in different ways to be honest when i'm when i'm [9:21] the underdog i just go in there and i'm free i've got no expectations on us i go in there and box and [9:26] do me and i i'm able to enjoy myself enjoy the moment take everything in that's what i'm doing [9:31] now just uh being present i'm thankful to god and um everyone around us we've got a good team and we're [9:37] coming out ready we're coming to come to do business one thing is for sure for people that don't [9:43] know a whole lot about you you have an unbelievable amount of experience on the big stage i mean [9:47] you just headline back home in front of a big crowd for the world title you defended that world [9:52] title on the road in saudi arabia you boxed at madison square garden in that fight as well you've [9:57] boxed at wembley stadium you've boxed behind closed doors your career has seen pretty much every [10:03] challenge so far beyond jaron ennis yeah i mean i stepped up quick and early in my career and like [10:09] bosie said it was ray robinson i mean i think it was my 10th fight in in hindsight yeah it could [10:16] have been a good thing could have been a bad thing but the experiences and the difficulties i've been [10:22] through has grown as a man and it's created who i am now so i'm never going to forget that i'm never [10:26] going to say i should have done this or i should have done that i am where i am now and i belong here [10:30] and i'm going to show that jaron welcome some night earlier this year at the barclays center people [10:37] still playing the clips back the energy you know add the feeling of a real superstar performance [10:41] i know you're never 100 happy but it was a great fight to become the unified world champion we've [10:47] done philly we've done new york we've done atlantic city and you said atlanta i want to go to atlanta [10:52] and light this place up delighted to get this over the line in a three belt unification uh most [10:57] definitely you know i'm excited you know uh i wanted i wanted to fight in atlanta for you know a very [11:02] long time and uh it's the time is now we're here you know it's time to show out put on the show and [11:07] uh and bring ruby back home ruby back home obviously your belt 147 pounds you missed that one [11:14] yeah she looked good too when you talk about fires i know you know fighters inside out as well [11:21] and again we've had the conversation you really rate this guy don't you i mean you you talk about [11:25] his skill set and he's tricky i've said to you before he's tricky he's good i mean that's what [11:28] you've said to me building up to this fight oh for sure i don't like the fact that people be trying [11:33] downplay him and think he's not you know a top guy or you know a solid fighter and things like that [11:39] i'm not taking him lightly so i don't think y'all should and i'm going to show you know on february [11:43] 27th it's going to get nasty and i'm not taking him lightly i'm going to show the word about the best [11:47] number best ever and i'm going to take the ibs back home with me one thing that i always say to [11:53] people about you is legacy is everything you know you know you're you're doing great now you're on a [11:58] huge run you've become a huge star and you know what comes with that but what is always been [12:03] important to you is the legacy is the belts and when you beat xander's eyes you said to me it's [12:08] just a road to undisputed and you win this then you're one belt away from the fundora fight and [12:14] becoming undisputed i know you're not looking beyond josh kelly but how important is that legacy to you to [12:20] go down as a real great uh legacy is everything to me you know i want my name to be cemented into the [12:25] boxing game you know for good and once i retire as an undefeated legend you know they didn't remember [12:30] me running through every division that i was at and uh beating all the top guys and beating the [12:35] most skilled guys and and you know the big superstar guys so that's that's what we're on right now you [12:39] know and i'm like i said i'm ready to show the world why i'm different and uh and bring that belt back [12:44] home you know another knockout are you enjoying the limelight i know that's not really for you either but [12:48] also what comes with that and comes with the performances is criticism you know people will talk about [12:52] that round three for yeah 30 seconds or 45 say oh he got hit too much yeah i love it you love it [12:58] to me i feel like it actually brought more fans to me to be honest you know i love it you know [13:03] don't do nothing but make me go in the gym and you know fix all my tools and and come back even [13:07] better like i said this fight gonna be even better only because i know what he got and what [13:13] he brings to the table and he's sharp but he can't make no mistakes one thing that you've always [13:18] said as well is you want to entertain for sure sometimes people with great skill set aren't actually [13:23] that entertaining to watch you do a little bit of everything so as far as you're concerned what [13:27] you're telling the fans is no foot off the gas don't worry about the recklessness sometimes you're [13:31] going to see it and you're going to enjoy what you see i mean we like i said like i just said we we [13:35] back to the driver and sharpen up our tools and i fix all the things you know and come you know [13:40] february 27 we're gonna show what we've been working on and the different things we've been working [13:44] on and just you know just show another another side of me you know i just keep bringing out different [13:48] tricks and different you know uh tools and showing like i said showing why we we don't like why we [13:56] the bus and that's what i'm gonna do i'm gonna stamp it and show show why i'm why i'm here and i'm [14:02] taking over the division this is my division can't nobody mess with me well i am him that's the name [14:08] of this show and we will find out who is him feb 27 state farm arena tickets will go on pre-sale next [14:14] tuesday it's matrim boxing's first ever show in atlanta i cannot wait we're going to bring a massive [14:20] undercard for a huge three belt unification some say he's a new superstar of the sport jerome boot [14:26] senis but he's up against one of the best world champions in the sport josh kelly as well three [14:29] belts on the line ibf wba wbo the road to undisputed is on live in front of a huge audience tnt what a [14:37] great team i see him here tim bradley terence crawford sitting down there as well great team [14:43] great platform let's go feb 27 atlanta get your tickets tuesday we'll see you there