Jaron \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis alerted his fans today, reminding them of his fight in 14 days against Uisma Lima in a WBA junior middleweight title eliminator on October 11 at the\u00a0Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. DAZN will stream the event at 8:00 p.m. ET \/ 5:00 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n
Jaron Ennis vs Uisma Lima Preview<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) labels Lima (14-1, 10 KOs) as a \u201cbig name\u201d despite his limited credentials and the negative view that fans and the media hold of him. Lima isn\u2019t rated highly for two reasons:<\/p>\n
Lack of wins over quality opposition
\nOne-sided defeat to Aaron McKenna: Lima was beaten by McKenna by a 10-round unanimous decision on June 16, 2023. The scores were 98-92, 98-93, and 100-91.<\/p>\n
Fans Question Eddie Hearn\u2019s Matchmaking<\/p>\n
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn missed the boat with this selection of Lima, as he didn\u2019t recognize what the negative reaction would be from fans ahead of time when he chose him as \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis\u2019 opponent.<\/p>\n
While Hearn said that Lima was a \u201cFine choice,\u201d fans and the media reacted differently, viewing it as a further sign of \u2018Boots\u2019 being babied by the promoter in the same way Shakur Stevenson and Edgar Berlanga were when they were with him.<\/p>\n
Is Jaron Ennis Wasting His Prime?<\/p>\n
None of them were thrown to the wolves to show how harsh life could be in their respective divisions. Ennis is getting the same pampered treatment, and it\u2019s disappointing. Basically, \u2018Boots\u2019 career is being stalled, and he\u2019s not young at 28 to be still matched against lesser fighters.<\/p>\n
October 11 Philadelphia Fight Night<\/p>\n
Khalil Coe vs. Jesse Hart
\nAlexis Barriere vs. Guido Vianello
\nJose Roman vs. Tahmir Smalls<\/p>\n
\u201cLima\u2019s a decent test, but he\u2019s not world-class, and that\u2019s where the criticism comes in. Ennis has the tools to be a boogeyman at 154\u2014speed, power, and ring IQ\u2014but he needs to face champions,\u201d said boxing analyst Chris Aligeri to Boxingscene.<\/p>\n
Algieri is right. Uisma, 32, isn\u2019t quite world-class, at least not based on his weak opposition and his defeat by Aaron McKenna in 2023. With Hearn\u2019s money and clout as a promoter, he should have gotten someone better for Ennis to fight in his debut at 154 that would help him prepare for the top rung of the division. Even if Hearn didn\u2019t want to match Ennis\u2019 tough right off the bat, he at least could have dug up one of these fighters:<\/p>\n
Israil Madrimov
\nAbass Barou
\nYoenis Tellez
\nBrandon Adams<\/p>\n
Stay-Busy Fight for Boots Ennis<\/p>\n
\u201cEnnis vs. Lima feels like a stay-busy fight, and that\u2019s a bit disappointing given the buzz around his 154 debut,\u201d said journalist Steve Kim to ESPN.<\/p>\n
It feels like a \u2018stay-busy fight\u2019 for \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis, with him matched against Lima. This is arguably a step down from Ennis\u2019 recent fights against Eimantas Stanionis and Karen Chukhadzhian.<\/p>\n
14 DAYS AWAY \ud83d\ude08 Almost time to showout \ud83d\udcab and have some fun \ud83e\udd2a Make sure y\u2019all come on out to support, watch me go for my 35th win & get my 31st Knockout\u26b0\ufe0f #Oct11th<\/a> on #Dazn<\/a>\ud83d\udcfa #TeamEnnis<\/a> \ud83d\udc3a #Undefeated<\/a> #AndTheNew<\/a> \ud83d\udc51 #PIACTour<\/a>\ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 #154Debut<\/a>\ud83d\ude08
Y\u2019all don\u2019t want to miss this\ud83d\ude45\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u2757\ufe0f\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/YurzZVydqD<\/a><\/p>\n