Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) made a statement on Saturday night, knocking out a badly overmatched Uisma Lima (14-2, 10 KOs) in the first round in a blistering TKO victory to capture the WBA interim junior middleweight title in his debut at 154 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Credit: Emma Brawley Matchroom Boxing Fight)
Lima Never Stood a Chance
The southpaw Lima was knocked down twice in the first round by ‘Boots’ before he was finished off with a hail of heavy shots. Referee Shawn Clark stepped in and stopped the massacre before Ennis could drop the helpless-looking Lima for a third time. The official time of the stoppage was at 1:58 of the first round.
Lima landed a big left hand of his own that woke ‘Boots’ up initially, leading him to go after him with a powerful right hand that dropped him hard on the canvas. That should have knocked down anybody from 154 to 168. It’s not the same as Lima going down like a sack of potatoes after getting clocked by it.
When Lima got back to his feet, he couldn’t defend himself and hit with a storm of shots from Ennis, who wasn’t letting him have a chance. He wanted to finish him right there on the spot.
Crawford Should’ve Been Next
After the carnage, both ‘Boots’ and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, called out WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr., saying they want him next. Surprisingly, they were aiming low in the food chain, wanting the small game instead of targeting the filet mignon, Terence Crawford. That’s the one that would have made a lot more sense.
Williams’ Viewpoint: Go for the Apex Predator
The way Ennis looked tonight, he’d have beaten the 38-year-old Crawford and made it look just as easy. He looks good enough that he could make easy work of the Omaha native and bring him down to earth. That’s who he should have fought. I would have gone for the big game if it were me.