Eddie Hearn confirms: "Josh Kelly will fight July 25"

Josh Kelly will be back out on the Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga card

IBF World super-welterweight champion Josh Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) put in a career-best performance against the fearsome Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KOs) last January, and now the Sunderland star is ready to get back in the ring again.

The 32-year-old 'Pretty Boy Kelly' is riding on an eight-fight winning streak, since his only defeat five years ago in 2021 to David Avanesyan. 'PBK' has scalped the likes of Troy Williamson, Ishmael Davis, Flavius Bieau and the aforementioned Murtazaliev to pick up a British belt and a world title.

Now, the stylish super-welterweight is returning to the ring on the Joshua-Prenga undercard to continue his meteoric rise and line up a unification next, according to his Matchroom Boxing boss.

When asked by Playbook Boxing, powered by Betway, if Is Josh Kelly will be fighting on 25 July, Eddie Hearn answered, "He is. It's the slowest undercard announcement in history for the AJ card, because there was a fight on, then there was off, and then it's back on again, then it's off again. That's a British fighter fighting for the world title.

"But Josh Kelly will fight July 25. I don't think it's the biggest secret in the world that he's going to fight Caoimhin Agyarko, it’s been everywhere and it's a brilliant fight. Caoimhin’s come through a lot of adversity himself and it's a fight where Josh has got to make a statement. 

"Basically, if Josh Kelly wins this fight, he's going to fight Fundora or Boots next, I believe, in a unification fight. It's a massive money fight for him as well, he's got to win July 25, and Boots just wants the belts. 

"We must take that Vergil Ortiz fight because I think it's one of the best fights in boxing, but now he's unified, he’s like, “get me Fundora, get me Kelly. I want them to be my next two fights.”

Caoimhin 'Black Thunder' Agyarko (18-0, 7 KOs) will make for an intruiging opponent, as the Belfast boxer has recently beaten two of the same opponents as Kelly - Ismael Davis and Troy Williamson. The 29-year-old is Ireland's no.1 super-welterweight and Kelly is England's no.1, so their fight will reignite the rivalry between the two countries.