Jaron “Boots” Ennis made a thunderous entrance into the junior middleweight division on Saturday night, needing less than two minutes to stop Uisma Lima and capture the WBA interim 154-pound title.
The bout, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, marked Ennis’ official debut at 154 lbs, and he made sure the division took notice.
Entering the arena to the ominous chime of WWE legend The Undertaker’s theme song, Ennis delivered a performance just as chilling. He walked into the ring with full confidence, and less than two minutes later, he walked out with his hand raised in brutal, clinical fashion.
“I already knew,” Ennis said after the fight when asked about how his power translated to the new weight class. “I felt like the more I go up, the stronger I was gonna get. I’ve been fighting at 147 for most of my career, even started at 141. So I’ve been undersized for a long time, it was time to move up.”
Ennis, now 35-0 with 31 knockouts, began cautiously, throwing a few feeler jabs to get a read on Lima, a Portugal-based fighter originally from Angola. Then came the switch to southpaw, a strategic move that spelled the beginning of the end. Ennis slipped in a sharp left uppercut that buckled Lima. A couple more precise shots sent him to the canvas.
Though Lima beat the count, he was clearly shaken and unable to recover. As Ennis moved in with a furious combination, Lima’s corner quickly threw in the towel, almost simultaneously with referee Shawn Clark’s stoppage. The official time was 1 minute and 58 seconds.
A new force in the junior middleweight division
This wasn’t just a debut, it was a declaration. Ennis, who unified the IBF and WBA welterweight titles earlier this year by stopping Eimantas Stanionis, has now proven that his power and speed translate well at 154. More importantly, he seems more energized without the burden of cutting weight.
His next challenge is already rumored to be in motion. Talks are underway for a high-stakes clash with Vergil Ortiz Jr. in early 2026, an elite matchup that could elevate Ennis further into pound-for-pound contention.
Uisma Lima, who came into the fight on a four-fight win streak and was ranked in the top 15 by the IBF, WBA, and WBC, couldn’t handle Ennis’ pressure. Despite the defeat, Lima’s rise from Angola to competing on a global stage remains commendable, and he’s expected to regroup and return.
For Ennis, the message was loud and clear: the junior middleweight division has a new contender, one who isn’t easing his way in.
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