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How Ennis-Lima can spark the super welterweight division into life
The super welterweight division is currently fractured between four champions and plenty of contenders - but the arrival of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis tonight in Philadelphia may spark a flurry of activity at 154lbs.
Unified welterweight champion Ennis has moved up seven pounds with designs of uniting the division, but he will have to stake his claim early on with his debut at 154lbs against Uisma Lima this evening, live on DAZN.
Holder of the minor world title that is the IBO belt, Lima is ranked inside the top 10 at super welterweight by the IBF, WBC, and WBA, highlighting the Angolan’s contender status.
Victory for Ennis , especially in a convincing fashion, would put the rest of the division on full alert - as well as tee-up a world title shot. Here’s exactly how Ennis-Lima can spark the super welterweight division into life.
High expectations for Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
Ennis made a lot of noise about uniting all four belts at 147lbs, but it became apparent ahead of his unification bout with Eimantas Stanionis that he was struggling to make the welterweight limit after almost a decade of campaigning in the division.
With seven extra pounds to play with, Ennis has stated that he is feeling sharp and ready to properly conquer the super welterweight division.
Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
The governing bodies are certainly expecting Ennis to be instantly in the mix at 154lbs, with all four organisations including the 28-year-old in the top 10 of their rankings. The WBA and WBC agree that Ennis should be viewed as the No 1 contender to their world champions, Abass Baraou and Sebastian Fundora, respectively.
It should be noted that with four separate world champions and top contender Vergil Ortiz Jr holding the WBC’s interim title, some big names are automatically excluded from certain ranking bodies’ lists.
Title honours already on the line for Jaron Ennis in 154lbs debut
After the WBA’s last ‘super’ champion at 154lbs, Terence Crawford, captured the undisputed crown at super middleweight in September, Abass Baraou was a huge beneficiary.
Crawford’s inactivity and plans to fight at 168lbs had seen the WBA organise an interim title at super welterweight, with German Baraou blowing away Yoenis Téllez at the end of August to become the sanctioning body's man in waiting.
Recently promoted to full champion, Baraou knows that he will be ordered to fight the winner of Ennis-Lima, as the interim title he effectively vacated has been brought straight back into circulation.
Most Valuable Promotions / Joseph Correa
Ennis’ promoter Eddie Hearn has made it clear that ‘Boots’ immediately wants fights with champions, and with a fast-tracked route to a world title, it appears likely that the American could be looking at unification bouts at the back end of 2026.
Baraou is no soft-touch but certainly lacks the pulling power of other 154lb champions such as Xander Zayas and Sebastian Fundora. With the interim title on the line for Ennis and Lima, a collision course with the division’s title holders appears mapped out.
Ennis-Lima kickstarts a schedule packed with super welterweight action
Whilst there is a degree of waiting around to see what will happen in boxing, most of the 154lbs division’s stars are focusing on their own fights. Ennis will kick off the action against Lima, but later this month Fundora defends his crown against former welterweight champion Keith Thurman, another big name recently joining the super welterweight ranks.
In November Vergil Ortiz Jr headlines against Erickson Lubin, a top-five contender in the eyes of the WBO, WBC, and The Ring magazine.
IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev has been ordered to face Brit Josh Kelly , with rumours suggesting that the fight could be organised for before the end of 2025 after positive talks between the two boxers’ camps.
(Joseph Correa/Premier Boxing Champions)
The aforementioned Baraou is still recovering after only fighting in August, but knows he is likely to be ordered to face the winner of Ennis-Lima next. That’s if the WBA champion does not look to unify first himself, with another title holder reportedly keen.
Xander Zayas is another freshly-minted champion, having won the WBO strap in July. Linked to a fight with Ortiz Jr in the new year as well as a unification bout with Baraou, Zayas is correctly surveying the landscape of the division before making his move.
If Zayas does choose to fight Baraou, he will be well aware that victory over the German will put him on course to face the WBA interim champion - expected to be Ennis. Knowing that successful unification may lead to a financially fruitful bout with ‘Boots’, Zayas may look to quickly arrange a date with Baraou.
Super welterweight contenders likely to be sifted out by champions and future title holders
A lot of big names are set to be tested before the end of 2026, with the potential for it to be made clear that the best fights to be made in the division will be between title holders.
Of course, Ennis will have to prove his credentials at 154lbs, but by beating Lima he will dismiss one challenger from the queue. Lima is undefeated when fighting at super welterweight, his only career loss as a pro coming against Aaron McKenna at middleweight.
Likewise, Thurman’s challenge of Fundora’s WBC crown could see the former world belt holder kicked from the title discussion at super welterweight. Like Ennis, Thurman was a unified champion at 147lbs, but previous titles mean little after just two fights in six years.
Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions
Lubin is another with title aspirations, the American showing great resilience in remaining competitive at 154lbs for over a decade. Now 30, Lubin challenged Jermell Charlo for the WBC title in 2017, only to be stopped in the first round as an inexperienced 22-year-old.
His attempt to prise the interim version of the WBC world title away from Fundora in 2022 also ended in a stoppage, with Lubin retiring in the ninth round. Another defeat for Lubin against the latest WBC interim champ Ortiz Jr, and it is hard to consider the American as a serious threat at super welterweight.
A meeting between Murtazaliev and Kelly before 2026 could also allow the super welterweight division to go into a new calendar year knowing that the champions are a cut above the rest, if the reigning IBF title holder defeats his British challenger.
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