Uisma Lima (14-2, 10 KOs) resembled a speed bump with the way Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) rolled over him, knocking him down twice en route to scoring a ligthtning fast first round technical knockout to claim the WBA interim junior middleweight title on Saturday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Credit: Emma Brawley Matchroom Boxing Fight)
Boots Unleashes the Blitz
Lima didn’t land much of anything before getting flattened from a powerful one-two combination from ‘Boots’ Ennis for the first knockdown of round one.’=
When Uisma, 32, got back to his feet, he made the mistake of attempting to fight his way out of trouble. That was a bad idea, as Ennis teed off on him, throwing a blizzard of punches against his trapped and wounded prey while he was pinned with his back against the ropes. Lima couldn’t take the shots and fell onto the canvas in a heap.
The referee, Shawn Clark, looked like he wanted to stop the fight then and there. You could see the wheels spinning in his head, ‘Should I stop or shouldn’t?’ He couldn’t make up his mind, so he allowed the slaughter to play out to its conclusion.
The Shark Smells Blood
‘Boots’ looked like a shark during a feeding frenzy in those final moments, as he hit Lima at will with everything but the kitchen sink, with nothing coming back at him at all. The referee finally decided he’d seen enough, and he stepped in and halted the fight. It was a good thing that he did because Ennis looked like he was going to poleax Lima just as the referee stepped in and saved the stricken Angolan-born fighter by halting the fight.
Ortiz, Charlo & Zayas in the Crosshairs
After the bout was over, Ennis started calling out all the top fighters at 154, naming these fighters:
- Bakhram Murtazaliev
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
- Xander Zayas
- Erickson Lubin
- Jermell Charlo
He wanted all the big names in the division, which is understandable given that a lot of fans had wanted him to fight those guys instead of the hapless Lima.
Hearn Joins the Callouts
Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, joined in, saying he wanted Vergil Jr. next for him. After tonight’s performance by Ennis, I doubt that Golden Boy Promotions is going to allow Vergil Ortiz Jr. to get anywhere near ‘Boots.’ That would be a bad move for them.