JARON “Boots” Ennis wasted no time making an explosive statement in his 154-pound debut, needing just 1 minute and 58 seconds to destroy Uisma Lima in the opening round on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025 (PH time).
The Philadelphia standout scored three knockdowns in the first round before the referee waved it off, sealing a first-round stoppage and capturing a share of the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) junior middleweight title.
“I’m belt chasing,” Ennis said. “This is my division, 154 is mine.”
The 28-year-old Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs), previously unbeaten at welterweight, showcased his trademark speed, precision, and power in what looked more like a statement than a tune-up.
“I just wanted to test my body at 154,” Ennis said.
And in true Ennis fashion, he called out his next big challenge: Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Eddie Hearn, Matchroom president and Ennis’ promoter, said to make the fight happen, Ortiz has to do his part by winning his World Boxing Council (WBC) interim junior middleweight title defense against Erickson Lubin on Nov. 8.
After that, Ennis-Ortiz is the fight boxing fans want to see Ennis in, according to Hearn.
“Ortiz is the best fight. (Golden Boy President) Eric Gomez, (Golden Boy owner) Oscar De La Hoya and I sat in a room and flushed out a deal with DAZN for Boots and Ortiz sometime in the first quarter of next year. It’s set. Boots just had to do what he did tonight. Vergil Ortiz will get destroyed by Jaron Ennis. This guy is going to destroy everybody,” he said. (RSC)