Hearn revealed the idea is already being considered following talks with Fundora’s website, positioning the fight as part of a broader attack on the undisputed 154-pound champion.
“We had very, very early conversations with PBC about it,” Hearn told iFL TV.
“They are very interested and I said let’s put Josh Kelly against Fundora and then the winner will fight the winner of Boots for the undisputed fight.”
Kelly is currently selected for voluntary defense this summer, but Fundora’s option has quickly become a more significant move. Hearn described it as a natural next step rather than a long-term goal.
This structure will create a clear two-fight path to full unification in the division, combining Fundora-Kelly with Jaron Ennis’ ongoing streak at 154.
“I mean it would be very natural,” Hearn said. “Let’s organize these fights. Let’s create an undisputed champion. That’s what this game is about.”
No formal agreement has been reached and talks are at an early stage, but the willingness of both sides signals a move towards one of the most direct paths to uniting the division.
By pairing Kelly with Fundora, Hearn accomplishes several things: If Kelly loses, Hearn still has a stake in the massive unification event. If Kelly can get past the confusion, he will be a global superstar heading into the undisputed fight.
Hearn promotes Ennis. By placing Kelly (also a Matchroom fighter) in Fundora (PBC), he is attempting to consolidate the belts within his own stable to ensure that the final undisputed fight is a Matchroom-only affair.
A wave of “shoe shiners” to steal cartridges may have worked against stalking attacker Bakhram Murtazaliev last January, but Fundora is a completely different beast.
Fundora’s 80-inch reach and 6-foot-10 height mean Kelly’s hit-and-go strategy requires him to cover enormous distances to get inside.
Unlike Murtazaliev, who followed Kelly in a straight line, Fundora showed significant improvement in lateral movement. In his TKO victory over Keith Thurman on March 29, Fundora used his jab as a physical barrier, systematically breaking Thurman down until a round 6 stoppage.
If Kelly gets inside to throw these delicate combos, he will enter Fundora’s “phone booth”, where the “Towering Inferno”, ironically, gives it his all with compact, devastating uppercuts.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most essential fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.