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Former unified welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) made his debut at 154 pounds against Uisma Lima (14-2, 10 KOs) on Saturday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in his hometown of Philadelphia, and it was a resounding success.
Ennis’ victory over Lima was a display of his skill and dominance in the ring. He easily defeated Lima by first-round TKO, dropping him twice. The first knockdown came from a powerful left hand with just under two minutes left in the round. Lima would beat the count, and the second from a right hand, and once again, a badly hurt Lima would get up. Ennis sealed the deal when he trapped Lima against the ropes, prompting referee Shawn Clark to halt the action.
After the fight, Ennis called out all the beltholders and top contenders at 154, including Vergil Ortiz, who will battle Erickson Lubin in November. If Ortiz gets by that fight, maybe we’ll see Ennis-Ortiz next, which would be a great fight.
“I want Vergil Ortiz next,” Ennis said. “But if he doesn’t want it, I’d fight [Jermell] Charlo, [Sebastian] Fundora or Xander [Zayas]. Anybody can get it. This division is mine.”
Ennis, who won the interim WBA 154-pound title with this win over Lima, demonstrated his potential to be one of the pound-for-pound best in boxing. He did what he was supposed to do on Saturday night, and it’s hard not to be impressed by what you see from him.
However, the time has come for Ennis to face better competition. It’s not entirely his fault, but the fans are eager to see him against better fighters. Whether it’s Zayas(WBO), Bakhram Murtazaliev(IBF), Abass Baraou(WBA), or Fundora(WBC), or any of the other contenders in the division, including Ortiz and Charlo, Ennis is ready to do big things, and if he is who we think he is, those big things will happen.
Photo: Matchroom Boxing/Emma Brawley