As profiles go, Uisma Lima knows that his own flies well under the radar of the average boxing fan. Then again, he also knows full well that profiles don’t win fights.
Lima, 14-1 (10 KOs), popped into Matchroom Boxing’s London studio Thursday to make an appearance on the “Flash Knockdown” podcast and discuss his October 11 matchup with undefeated former unified welterweight titleholder Jaron “Boots” Ennis at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
A 32-year-old Angolan now based in Porto, Portugal, Lima has yet to appear in a big fight, on a grand stage, against top-quality competition. The closest he has come to any of them: a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Aaron McKenna at London’s York Hall in 2023.
But that outing also marks the only pro defeat for Lima, who will have at least one advantage fighting Ennis in his Philadelphia hometown: their bout will be the first for Ennis at junior middleweight. Lima, meanwhile, has fought at or above 154lbs his entire career.
“I don’t have a big promotion behind me like Eddie Hearn [and Matchroom], but I want to fight these big names,” Lima said. “Boots does everything well – but me too! I work hard, I have good footwork, I have an explosive punch. I think they have made a big mistake.”
After making his first eight fights in Portugal or Spain, Lima has been on the road ever since, besting several opponents on their home (or at least adopted) soil. Most recently, Lima clipped Shervantaigh Koopman in a ninth-round stoppage win in South Africa last May.
“I like being the underdog,” Lima said. “I have been to Canada, Germany, South Africa and UK, and won, and this is another country to spoil the party.”
Ennis, 34-0 (30 KOs), undoubtedly has his sights set on much more high-profile competition at junior middleweight, but Lima was probably as good a place to start as any after a proposed bout with Vergil Ortiz Jnr fell through.
But after a camp of sparring up-and-coming UK-based junior welterweight Adam Azim, and coming off four consecutive stoppages, Lima believes he’s more than just a live dog.
“I want to put my name in history,” he said. “I don’t want to be just the No. 1 in Portugal, I want respect.
“Everyone wants to be a world champion – me too. When I finish with Boots, people will know me.”
Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.
