Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says he wants Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to enter the ring on November 8th after Vergil Ortiz Jr’s fight against Erickson Lubin to announce their bout for February 2026.
Ennis’s Debut at 154
‘Boots’ Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) needs to win his 12-round fight against Uisma Lima (14-1,10 KOs) on October 11th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The fight is ‘Boots’ Ennis’ debut at 154 and will be shown live on DAZN.
“It’s a good fight. I hope he wins. I think he will. He’s the favorite going into the fight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Australian Boxing Central, talking about WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. in his defense against Erickson Lubin on November 8th in Fort Worth, Texas.
It’s Vergil Jr’s third consecutive fight since August 2024. In Ortiz Jr’s last two fights, he’s beaten Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk by a pair of 12-round decisions. Both contests were grueling ones in which Ortiz Jr. soaked up a lot of punishment along the way and had to tough it out to get the wins. Vergil Jr’s face was marked up by the end of the fights.
The Ring Announcement Idea
“Obviously, we have [Uisma] Lima, who may not have the profile of Lubin, but is just as good, just as tough as Erickson Lubin. We [Jaron Ennis] got to come through in October. I think it’s November 8th. Let’s make sure that by the time Vergil Ortiz wins, we’re in the ring with him announcing that fight for February, whatever it is [2026],” said Hearn.
That would be ideal for Ennis to enter the ring immediately after Vergil Jr. defeats Lubin on November 8th, so that they could begin promoting their clash for February 2026.
Lima, 32, doesn’t have the resume to back Hearn’s comments about him being “just as good” as Lubin. He’s also three years older than the 29-year-old Lubin. Hearn chose Lima over other fighters like Jesus Ramos, Serhii Bohachuk, and Israil Madrimov.
“Madrimov had a chest infection,” said Hearn when asked about his thoughts on Israil Madrimov’s loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. earlier this year on February 22nd in Riyadh. “He was supposed to fight Bohachuk. He had bronchitis, and he couldn’t fight against Bohachuk. He came back a little bit early. I don’t think he was 100% in that fight. It was actually quite a close fight. Vergil won fair and square.”
Ortiz Jr. vs. Madrimov was a close fight. Madrimov got the better of Vergil Jr. in the first half with his power shots and movement. In the second half of the fight, Israil looked exhausted from the pressure from Vergil, the fast pace, and the constant movement he’d done earlier. Ortiz Jr. won by a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 115-113, 115-113, and 117-111.
Ortiz Jr. vs. Madrimov punch stats
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.: 166 shots landed of 561 for 29.6%
- Israil Madrimov: 127 of 466 for 27.3%
Building a Boxing Superstar
“The style of Madrimov is quite difficult for anyone,” said Hearn. “We saw that against Crawford. He’s not an easy guy to fight. Vergil Ortiz is a good fighter. I just truly believe his style is absolutely tailor-made for Jaron Ennis. It’s not an easy fight, but it’s a great fight. And, I believe that is the fight that shows everybody that ‘Boots’ is a top pound-for-pound star.”
Madrimov lost to Terence Crawford by a narrow margin last year on August 3, 2024. The scores for that fight were similar to the ones for the Ortiz Jr.-Madrimov bout.
“These guys are in their 20s, their absolute prime. I just hope they can both come through in October and November, and we can just get the fight made,” said Hearn about Ennis and Ortiz Jr.
Vergil Jr. has a tough fight on his hands going up against Lubin because he has power and a proven track record with wins over Jesus Ramos Jr., Terrell Gausha, Jeison Rosario, and Nathaniel Gallimore.
Last Updated on 08/26/2025
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