uncategorized
Tim Bradley: Josh Kelly Presents Tougher Challenge for Jaron Boots Ennis Than Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“I think Josh Kelly’s a little bit more hard fight, believe it or not, than Vergil Ortiz. Styles make fights,” said Bradley on his channel. “Josh Kelly don’t look like much, but he’s quick. He got good reflexes. He got some pop on his shots. He’s very deceiving. And he got legs. He gonna move around all night. Boots gonna have to chase. He gonna have to chase.”
Bradley compared Kelly’s style with Vergil Jr’s aggressive approach, saying Ennis has historically performed best against opponents who come forward looking to exchange.
“They like guys that stand in front of them. Vergil Ortiz, yeah, they like guys that stand in front of them,” Bradley said.
Despite calling Kelly the trickier matchup, Bradley still expects Ennis to win. He believes the unified champion would eventually solve Kelly’s movement by cutting off the ring and landing combinations that break through the British contender’s defense.
“I think Boots will eventually catch up with him, cut him off, hurt him with a large shot,” Bradley said. “As long as Boots is pressing forward, cutting off the ring, preparing himself for boxers, he should have no problem beating Josh Kelly. However, it’s going to take a little bit more time for him to get to him.”
Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) has rebuilt his career since suffering the lone defeat of his professional career to David Avanesyan in 2021. The former Olympian has won seven straight fights and has repeatedly called for a world title opportunity.
Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs), meanwhile, remains one of the leading names in the division after defeating Israil Madrimov and Bakhram Murtazaliev. A fight between Ortiz and Ennis has been discussed for months and is viewed by many fans as one of the biggest matchups that can be made at 154 pounds.
Bradley’s comments are likely to spark debate, as Vergil Jr. is widely regarded as the more perilous puncher. Bradley, however, believes Kelly’s mobility and elusive style would require Ennis to solve a different kind of puzzle before getting the victory.
Noakes (18-1, 16 KOs) is looking to rebound from the first defeat of his professional career after dropping a competitive decision to Abdullah Mason last November in Saudi Arabia. The entertaining contest earned Fight of the Year consideration, but it also halted the momentum the 28-year-old had built toward a world title shot.
He returned in May for a low-risk outing, stopping Benito Sanchez Garcia in two rounds at York Hall.
Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KOs) would represent a step up from that assignment, although he’s hardly entering the fight with momentum of his own. The 38-year-old Ukrainian hasn’t fought since suffering a fourth-round stoppage loss to Keyshawn Davis on February 14, 2025, when he lost the WBO lightweight title.
While Berinchyk’s experience and former world champion status add credibility to the matchup, both fighters are coming off losses, taking some of the shine off what otherwise could have been an intriguing lightweight clash.
From a matchmaking standpoint, however, the fight makes sense. Berinchyk offers Noakes a respected name without the risk that comes with facing one of the division’s younger contenders. A matchup against an unbeaten prospect such as Alan Chaves may have generated more interest, but it also would have posed a far more dangerous assignment for a fighter trying to rebuild after his first professional setback.
If the fight is finalized, it would serve as a solid keep-busy bout for Noakes while giving him the chance to put himself back in the lightweight conversation with a victory over a former world champion.
The Hall of Famer says a Texas showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr. would generate more interest and revenue than an immediate fight with the unified junior middleweight champion
Roy Jones Jr believes Errol Spence Jr should postpone any fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis if he defeats Tim Tszyu on July 25. Instead, the Hall of Famer says Spence should pursue a Texas showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr., calling it the biggest fight available at junior middleweight.
Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) returns from a three-year absence on July 25 when he faces former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu.
Jones believes a victory should lead directly to an all-Texas clash with Ortiz rather than a title fight against Ennis.
“The biggest fight right now, for that division, is Errol Spence if he beats Tszyu vs Vergil Ortiz in Dallas,” said Roy Jones Jr. on ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT. “They’d sell out Dallas Stadium.
“You don’t throw that away chasing Boots; you let Boots go and fight Fundora first – you wait and see what happens in the Errol Spence fight, if you’re smart.
“You’d make way more money right there in Dallas Stadium.”
Jones is looking at the commercial value of the matchup as much as the boxing side. Spence and Ortiz are both Texas natives and came through the amateur ranks in the state, making the fight an easy sell to local fans.
Ortiz is coming off a career-best win over Israil Madrimov and remains one of the leading contenders at 154 pounds. Ennis currently holds the WBA and WBO titles, while Sebastian Fundora owns the WBC belt, giving the division several major fights if Spence can get past Tszyu in his long-awaited return.
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Latest Boxing News:
Last Updated on 2026/07/08 at 1:13 PM
The 35-year-old contender knows most of the attention surrounding the fight has centered on Joshua’s future rather than the opponent standing across the ring from him. He warned that looking ahead to Fury would be a costly mistake.
“It’s not a good idea he make plans to fight Tyson Fury,” Prenga told Ring Magazine. “I think I’m going to break his plan.”
Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul last December, a comeback victory after suffering a damaging fifth-round stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. A win over Prenga would keep him on course for one of the biggest fights in British boxing against Fury, who is also scheduled to return the day before against Mariusz Wach.
Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) enters with an eye-catching record, having knocked out every opponent he has beaten. While those victories came against modest opposition compared to Joshua’s resume, the Albanian believes his punching power gives him everything he needs to produce a major upset.
Joshua is still a heavy favorite, but Prenga represents a different type of opponent than some of the former two-time heavyweight champion’s recent rebuilding assignments. Unlike Jermaine Franklin or Otto Wallin, Prenga is an aggressive puncher whose confidence comes from finishing every one of his victories inside the distance.
Overlooking an opponent with that kind of power could be an expensive mistake for Joshua. A knockout win for Prenga over one of boxing’s biggest names would instantly transform his career while destroying the plans for the blockbuster Fury-Joshua meeting.
Islam Dulatov doesnt need tape on Wellington Turman: I just want to knock him out
Fatima Kline calls out former champion and former title challenger
Ryan Garcia sets Zuffa Boxing conditions before potential deal with Dana White
-
MMA2 days agoIan Garry explains how beating Islam Makhachev would change his legacy
-
MMA2 days agoChristian Leroy Duncan just put the UFC middleweight division on notice
-
MMA2 days agoAustin Bashi reveals facial fractures following UFC OKC loss
-
MMA2 days agoValter Walker not scared of ‘small’ Josh Hokit, unimpressed by Gable Steveson’s UFC debut: ‘I’ll take all of them’
-
MMA2 days agoPFL, Rizin make MMA history with double title fight at Super Rizin 5
-
MMA2 days agoKamaru Usman on UFC OKC loss: What were the judges watching?
-
MMA2 days agoRAF exec gives update on Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad match after RAF 11 post-event melee
-
MMA2 days agoBoxer who fought for WBC womens featherweight title killed in Texas