Jaron “Boots” Ennis wasted no time Saturday night literally and figuratively. After stopping Uisma Lima in just two minutes at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the newly crowned WBA interim super welterweight champion immediately set his sights on his next target: fellow unbeaten star Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Ennis Wants Ortiz Next
“It’s going to happen next,” Ennis told DAZN’s Chris Mannix after his first-round TKO victory. “I know he’s got his fight coming up. He’s focused on his fight. If he don’t win, I’ll fight Erickson Lubin, I’ll fight the winner of that, but I want Vergil Ortiz next.”
Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) is slated to defend his WBC interim 154-pound title against Lubin on November 8 in a DAZN main event. If Ortiz comes through, boxing fans could see a high-voltage clash between two of the sport’s most explosive finishers early in 2026.
“Everybody at 154 Can Get It”
Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) made clear that his mission is domination at super welterweight. “If we can’t get Vergil Ortiz next, I heard that baby cub was calling me out too [Jermell] Charlo, he could get it next,” Ennis said. “Sebastian Fundora, Bakhram Murtazaliev, the IBF champion he could get it. Everybody at 154 could get it. Xander [Zayas], he could get it.”
The 27-year-old from Philadelphia, long considered one of boxing’s most gifted technicians, punctuated his post-fight interview with a simple message:
“Anybody at 154 … I’m belt chasing. This is my division, 154 is mine! I’m on tour.”
Promoters Align for a Mega Clash
Ennis’ promoter Eddie Hearn has made it clear that Matchroom Boxing intends to line up big-name opponents for “Boots” immediately starting with Vergil Ortiz Jr. On the other side of the table, Ortiz’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya used Saturday’s broadcast to declare that his fighter is the man to beat at super welterweight.
If Ortiz defeats Lubin next month, boxing’s long-awaited collision between two of the division’s most dangerous young stars could be set for early 2026 a matchup that would crown a new king at 154 pounds and possibly signal the next great rivalry in the sport.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
