Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is getting roasted by fans on social media for choosing Uisma Lima for his October 11th fight on DAZN. Fans see this selection for Ennis as an example of him once again ducking the risky fights in favor of a weak, record-padding opponent.
The fight is viewed as a pointless waste of time, as it’s not going to prepare Ennis, 28, to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. or any of the elite-level 154-pounders. There are better fighters that Ennis and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, could have selected for him to fight for a tune-up.
A Mismatch for ‘Boots’
Choosing the obscure fighter Lima was obviously a budget-friendly option while at the same time avoiding any possibility of Ennis losing. Brian Norman Sr. had received this last week that Hearn was offering fighters only $250,000 to be Ennis’ opponent for October 11th. That would explain why Lima was the one selected.
Fans’ criticism of Boots’s choice
- The opponent is a total unknown
- Mismatch
- Poor matchmaking for Boots: Dreadful career management
- Avoiding the tougher fights
- Easy option to save money
- Big letdown for fans
Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) is taking what is supposed to be a tune-up fight against Lima (14-1, 10 KOs), but it’ll still be a WBA junior middleweight title eliminator for the belt that Terence Crawford holds. The event will be in Boots’ hometown of Ennis at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Most fans hadn’t heard of Lima, and his lack of name recognition made this a poor option for Ennis. Moreover, the fact that the 32-year-old Uisma lost to British fighter Aaron McKenna made him even more underwhelming as an opponent. McKenna isn’t highly thought of.
‘Boots’ Skips Tough Fights
Ennis’s resume is littered with scrubs, and his decision to turn down these fighters has created the perception that he lacks ambition. Fights that Boots has rejected in the last year: Devin Haney, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Teofimo Lopez.
The boxing public wanted to see Ennis choose one of these contenders for his debut at 154:
Israil Madrimov
Serhii Bohachuk
Jesus Ramos
Erickson Lubin