Ennis vs. Lima: Boots is Back in Philly

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis returns to his native Philadelphia to take on fringe contender Uisma Lima. Lima represents Boots’ attempt to dip his toes in the deep waters of junior middleweight. On the undercard, heavyweight prospect Alexis Barriere takes a step up in competition against a game Guido Vianello. Unfortunately, Khalil Coe pulled out of his fight with Jessie Hart due to injury. This card will be live-streamed from the Wells Fargo Center on the DAZN app.

When this main event got announced, fans expressed their displeasure across social media platforms. It doesn’t take a boxing genius to realize the 154-pound division has plenty of options to choose from rather than Lima. Still unbeaten, Aaron McKenna, who recently defeated Liam Smith, is the only notch in the lost column for Uisma. Truth be told this boxing podcaster is not all that pleased with this fight. That said, Lima is nowhere near as bad as many have proclaimed.

Lima is a southpaw with a fairly fluid straight left hand. He’s a bit stiff when throwing in combination. Although, he finds success during exchanges, Lima has a bad habit of either standing directly in front of opponents for too long or reaching with his punches. Uisman has recovered nicely winning 4 in a row since his loss with 3 of those coming over undefeated boxers. Of course, one could point out the lack of depth in those fighters resumes.

Ever since Boots signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sports the competition has been just okay. It appeared Ennis may challenge Vergil Ortiz but seemed reluctant to move up a division. Of late he claims 147 is no longer possible so the bigger opportunities should be on the table next time out.  His last outing was an impressive performance dispatching a solid guy in Eimantas Stanionis.  A rematch that nobody wanted with Karen Chukadzhian. It should be noted the second time was way more entertaining. The deal started with David Avanesyan a fighter well past his prime.

As far as Saturday night goes, look for it to be fun while it lasts. Ennis is by far the more accurate and powerful puncher. He may not be as sharp as he was versus Stanionis defensively meaning he could take a few clean punches. At some point Ennis will catch Lima with the straighter punch likely during an exchange. Here’s hoping that Ennis gets a legit test in the first quarter of 2026.

My Official Prediction is Jaron Ennis by mid-to-late knockout.

BetMGM

4.5/5

Tip: Boots by KO

• Boots to Fast
• Boots better fighter
• Lima in over his head

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Side Note: Other bouts to keep an eye on this weekend are Guido Vianello vs. Alexis Barriere, Reece Bellotti vs. Josh Padley, and Dave Allen vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, The Grueling Truth Sports Network, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio