Overview

• Ennis moved up from welterweight after years of draining cuts that his camp and doctors warned were compromising his health and performance.
• The Philadelphia homecoming at the Xfinity Mobile Arena aired on DAZN, with Ennis entering as a massive betting favorite over Lima.
• After the stoppage, Ennis called for Vergil Ortiz Jr., echoing promoter Eddie Hearn’s push for that matchup as the next major step.
• Hearn says a deal structure with Golden Boy and DAZN has been discussed for early 2026, with any Ennis–Ortiz bout dependent on Ortiz’s Nov. 8 fight against Erickson Lubin and final terms.
• The dominant debut strengthens Ennis’s pursuit of top names at 154 pounds, with champions such as Sebastian Fundora, Xander Zayas and Bakhram Murtazaliev on the radar.