"Ennis got his reputation by looking incredible against a bunch of nobodies while fighting at 147 pounds. Not a talentless bunch, mind you, but to mainstream followers of the sweet science, an exclusively anonymous one. But even so, by last year Ennis was on the verge of being a pay-per-view headliner, or being brought to Riaydh by deep-pocketed Saudi boxing patron Turki Alalshikh, or both."
"No official attendance figures were announced for the Lima fight, but the upper deck of the arena was completely unsold, and the crowd appeared to be substantially smaller than the reported "about 10,000" folks who saw Ennis win by decision over Karen Chukhadzhian in the same building in November 2024. And that fight in turn drew thousands fewer than the 14,119 spectators that witnessed Boots's July 2024 decision against Davi Avanesyan, yet again in Philly."
Jaron "Boots" Ennis knocked out Uisma Lima two minutes into his 154-pound debut to claim the WBO interim super-welterweight title. Ennis improved his record to 35-0 with 31 KOs. Ennis built his reputation largely by defeating lesser-known opponents while campaigning at 147 pounds and was once viewed as an imminent pay-per-view headliner or a candidate for a major Saudi-backed event. Recent crowd sizes have fallen, with the Lima card drawing noticeably fewer fans than prior Philly bouts. Promoter Eddie Hearn demanded a standout performance, and Ennis delivered one in his divisional debut.
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