What does the cryptic crossword clue "Praise a fight that’s reportedly close enough (2,2,5)" mean?

The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). Sounds like (‘reportedly’) HONOUR A BOUT (‘praise a fight’). The placement of ‘reportedly’ in the clue is ambiguous, but the ambiguity is readily resolved. The answer is ONORABOUT.

Praise a fight that’s reportedly close enough (2,2,5)

Guardian Cryptic #29484 | 17 Across | 2024-09-10 flower

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