Join us for our big fight, Ennis vs Lima, preview, as Jaron “Boots” Ennis makes his 154-pound debut on Saturday, 11 October. The highly-rated 34-0 (30 KOs) Philadelphia native faces Uisma Lima 14-1 (10 KOs), a little-known 32-year-old Angolan who fights out of Portugal.
This fight for the WBA interim belt tops the bill at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, broadcast live on DAZN. The winner is in line to battle for the full WBA title against Abass Baraou.
Many fight pundits see this as a “tune-up” for former unified welterweight world champion Ennis as he works towards a title shot against standout super welterweights like Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Now, let’s check out the two main event fighters.
Jaron “Boots” Ennis
28-year-old US star Ennis fights out of the southpaw stance, yet is equally comfortable fighting orthodox. In almost 2 years as IBF welterweight king, Ennis built his record to 30 stoppage wins in 34 victories.
April 2025 saw “Boots” at his imperious best, as he clinically picked apart Eimantas Stanionis to become WBA, IBF, and Ring Magazine welterweight champion. However, the Philly fighter decided to vacate these titles to move up to super-welterweight.”
Now, under the Matchroom Boxing banner, Ennis is poised to break out as one of boxing’s biggest stars, as he aims to win a world title in a second weight class.
Uisma Lima
For Lima, this is a golden chance to announce himself on a big DAZN card. Last time out in May 2025, he made the first defence of his IBO world super-welterweight title against Shervantaigh.
Koopman. A vacant title was won versus Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti in December 2024.
The only blemish on Lima’s record was a loss to the unbeaten Aaron McKenna at Bethnal Green in June 2023 for the WBC international middleweight belt. Given that McKenna has fought nowhere near Ennis’ level, this doesn’t bode well for Lima’s chances on Saturday night.
Based on the McKenna fight, Lima looks tough but nowhere near the level of Ennis. Slower of hand and foot, and lacking the same flow as his American opponent.
Ennis vs Lima Fight Prediction
Although Ennis is favoured to win this bout inside the scheduled 12 rounds, this assignment could be tougher than expected. We saw how Karen Chukhadzhian pushed Ennis over the full distance, plus he needs to adjust to the 7-pound weight jump. However, we should still expect a convincing win, as Ennis delivers another methodical beatdown on his way to a mid-round stoppage.
Undercard Fights
As well as the main fight, let’s take a look at a selection of undercard duels.
Alexis Barriere vs Guido Vianello
Canadian southpaw Barriere 12-0 (10 KOs) takes a step up in class against divisional gatekeeper Vianello 13-3-1 (11 KOs) over 10 rounds for the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Italian Vianello is a tough night’s work for most heavyweights, seeing as he dominated Makhmudov and gave Efe Ajagba and Richard Torrez good scraps in losing efforts. Vianello gave Torrez, another up-and-coming southpaw, a really tough fight, hurting the former US Olympian multiple times. So, his toughness and ring savvy could be a step too far for the green Barriere.
Tahmir Smalls vs Jose Roman Vazquez
After compiling a 15-0 (11 KOs) record, Smalls takes on Vazquez (14-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-round clash for the WBA Continental North America Welterweight title. Smalls should have too much for Vazquez, as he marches up the 147 lbs rankings.
Zaquin Moses vs Antonio Duntonel
20-year-old Moses is rated one of the brightest prospects in US boxing. The New Jersey super featherweight is 4-0 (3 KOs) and now takes on Duntonel, who’s 6-4-2 (2 KOs) in a 6-round bout. Moses could make a statement by handing Duntonel his first stoppage defeat. As he builds a profile at 130 lbs.
Giorgio Visioli vs James Wilkins
22-year-old Visioli makes his stateside debut against gritty US pro Wilkins (13-3-6 KOs). Former 2-time UK national amateur champion Visioli has looked impressive moving to 8-0 (6 KOs) since turning pro in 2023. This is a decent progression fight, but expect the quicksilver UK southpaw to secure a commanding points win over 8 rounds, seeing as Wilkins has never lost inside the distance.
Wrap-Up Ennis vs Lima Preview
Ennis is a heavy odds-on favourite to win his 154 lbs debut. Tune into this card to see potential future stars in Alexis Barriere at heavyweight and prospects Smalls, Moses, and Visioli at the lighter weights.
