"Jaron Ennis needed less than two minutes to remind boxing why he's long been considered the sport's next big thing. The 28-year-old Philadelphian nicknamed Boots flattened Uisma Lima on Saturday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, marking an explosive debut at 154lb and setting the stage for the far bigger challenges that await him next year. Ennis dropped the sturdy but unheralded Lima three times in 118 seconds, igniting the rollicking hometown crowd squarely in his corner."
"A concussive right uppercut started the unraveling, followed by two blistering flurries that left his Portugal-based Angolan opponent unable to continue. Referee Shawn Clark waved it off at 1:58 of the opening round, giving the unbeaten Ennis his 35th professional win, his 31st inside the distance, and the kind of statement that reverberates through the sport even in a mismatch."
"That message was aimed squarely at Vergil Ortiz Jr. The undefeated Texan, who holds the WBC's interim junior middleweight title, is expected to meet Ennis in early 2026 in what promoter Eddie Hearn called one of the best fights to be made in American boxing. The Matchroom Boxing supremo confirmed that an agreement with Golden Boy Promotions is already in place, pending Ortiz's November title defense against Erickson Lubin."
Jaron Ennis stopped Uisma Lima at 1:58 of the opening round after scoring three knockdowns in 118 seconds during his debut at 154lb. A right uppercut initiated the sequence, followed by flurries that left Lima unable to continue. The stoppage moved Ennis to 35-0 with 31 knockouts. Ennis stated that moving up in weight has strengthened him and claimed the division. Promoter Eddie Hearn and Matchroom confirmed a tentative agreement with Golden Boy for a likely early-2026 fight against undefeated WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr., pending Ortiz's November title defense.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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