After experiencing a successful run in the welterweight division, Jaron “Boots” Ennis is moving up, as he’s set to make his 154-pound debut against Uisma Lima (14-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday night, October 11th, at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, airing live on DAZN.
Ennis is one step away from a marquee matchup, but before he can turn his attention towards that bout, he plans on making a statement when he faces Lima. While Ennis plans on entertaining and showcasing his skills, Lima is focused on formally introducing himself to the mainstream by scoring the massive upset.
A native of Luanda, Angola, Uisma Lima made his pro boxing debut back in February 2019 when he posted a third-round TKO victory over Youssouf Kone. Lima would go on to reel off an additional nine consecutive victories.
In June 2023, Aaron McKenna was set to face Shakiel Thompson for the WBC International middleweight title. Due to injury, Thompson withdrew from the fight.
Uisma Lima filled in on short notice, but unfortunately for Lima, he lost via unanimous decision. He would bounce back by going on a four-fight win streak. Now Lima is on the verge of facing the biggest challenge of his professional career.
A couple of years ago, in their first encounter, Jaron Ennis defeated Karen Chukhadzhian via unanimous decision and won the vacant IBF interim welterweight belt. Ten months later, Ennis was upgraded to full champion due to the fact that Terence “Bud” Crawford was stripped of the title.
Ennis would proceed to successfully defend his IBF strap against David Avanesyan and Karen Chukhadzhian. Six months ago, Ennis became a unified world champion when he stopped Eimantas Stanionis in the sixth round and won the vacant WBA world title.
Now the 28-year-old Philadelphia native Jaron “Boots” Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) is ready to move up and join the talent-rich junior-middleweight division. Ennis is a special fighter who has all the tools. He’s a switch-hitter who possesses power in both hands.
In addition to punching power, Ennis has hand speed, masterful footwork, and he consistently lands sharp combinations. On Saturday night, Ennis wants to make a statement, and the statement he wants to make equates to a scintillating knockout.
His opponent, Uisma Lima, is an aggressive southpaw who is accustomed to pressing forward and dictating the pace of the fight. Lima has the ability to consistently maintain a high work rate and throw punches in bunches.
For Boots Ennis, the plan is to entertain his hometown fans on Saturday night, and then move on to the highly anticipated matchup versus the hard-hitting Vergil Ortiz Jr. For Uisma Lima, he’s traveling to Philadelphia to play the role of the spoiler.
From a name perspective, Uisma Lima is an unknown, but he has beaten three undefeated fighters in their own backyard. Lima’s goal is to score the upset and add Jaron Ennis’s name to that exclusive list.
On Saturday night, the 32-year-old Uisma Lima wants to formally introduce himself to the general public. During a recent press conference, Lima issued a stern warning.
“I want to fight all the big names because I think I’m a big name,” Lima said. “But people don’t know me because I don’t have a big promotion by me. But when I finish this fight, when I finish with Boots, people will know me!”