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On October 11, live from the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA, Jaron Ennis made his 154-pound debut with a first-round stoppage win over Uisma Lima.
The level of opposition for Boots was criticised in the build-up and has been criticised since the manner of his victory. Erickson Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs), a contender at 154 pounds, will be fighting Vergil Ortiz Jr (23-0, 21 KOs) on November 8 for the WBC interim super welterweight title. He has spoken to Fight Hub TV about Ennis’ win, criticising his arrival in the division.
Jaron Ennis’ 154 pounds arrival draws criticism from Erickson Lubin
Jaron Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) did what he needed to on his 154-pound debut, delivering an explosive performance. He began the fight in the orthodox stance before he switched and landed a beautifully timed uppercut.
He then followed it up with three vicious hooks that dropped Lima (14-2, 10 KOs), and despite the Angolan beating the count, he was quickly knocked down for a second time.
“Boots” continued to land punch after punch, with referee Shawn Clark forced to wave the fight off.
Talking to Fight Hub TV, Lubin gave his honest reaction to Boots’ post-fight call-outs:
“Fighting a guy like Uisma Lima is just not really respected on mine. After the fight, he started calling Everybody name but…You should have come into the division trying to get one of these name if, it was like that, you know, in my opinion.
“You got a guy like Devin Haney who’s coming from 140, going up to 147, and immediately wanted to fight Brian Norman, the champion.
‘Some fighters talk the talk, others walk the walk’
Discussing Eddie Hearn and how he believes Ennis should have announced himself in the division:
“Some people just talk the talk, and some people walk the walk, and I feel like Eddie Hearn’s a great promoter. He does a lot of talking for his fighters, but, you know, if that was the case, if you called out all these fighters and saying that you’re the best at 154 pounds, then you should have showed it by coming into the division fighting one of these dudes,” said Lubin.
Immediately after his debut win at 154, Ennis said:
“I knew what I had to do,” Ennis said. “I already knew [how strong] I was; it was that time to go [at 147]. I stayed behind the jab, and I touched to the body. I think he was trying to be smart, because he didn’t want to get caught early. I felt way better, felt phenomenal, rejuvenated, excited to train. I sent a big message.”
Ennis has had the warm-up fight his team wanted. Now it’s time for a significant step up. Did I hear someone say Jaron Ennis vs Vergil Ortiz Jr in early 2026?
