Bakhram Murtazaliev responded to Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on Ushma Lima last Saturday night and said: “I’m ready.”
The IBF junior middleweight champion, Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 COs), is one of the five names that Ennis’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, mentioned that he wants to fight for him next. Hearn is aimed at all the champions, including the interim belt holder, Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Unfortunately for Bakhram, he is not the primary target for ‘boots’ (35-0, 31 food) and Hearn. They want to forgive jr. (23-0, 21 COs) because he’s better known, more popular, and it would be a bigger battle for pay-pervention. In addition, it is probably easier than going against Murtazaliev, which has had a bad left hook that can cause many problems.
I’m ready 😉
– Bakhram Murtazaliev (@Bakhram95) October 12, 2025
Murtazaliev’s inactivity could be a problem for him. He has not fought since his knockout of former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu on October 19, 2024. All the top fighters and their promoters showed no interest in fighting him after reducing Tszyu to debris.
Predictably, Hearn and Ennis Murtazaliev will rescue for last after fighting these fighters for the first time to round off the belts at 154:
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.: WBC Intermediate
- Sebastian Fundora: WBC
- Abass Baraou: WBA
- Xander Zayas: WBO
Last night, “Boots” didn’t have to worry about being hit so much because he crushed the inexperienced Lima (14-2, 10 COs) in the first round after dropping him twice in the Xfinity Mobile Arenity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The end comes with Ennis beating Lima with a hail of fire, who asked referee Shawn Clark to stop the fight at the 1:58 point. Lima, 32, had no previous experience against the top fighters of 154 pounds.
The only name fighter on Lima’s resume is Aaron McKenna, a middleweight, and he lost unanimous decision on June 16, 2023 with a one-sided ten-round decision. Hearn was quite smart to choose Uuisma as the ideal showcase opponent for ‘boots’ to make his debut at 154, rather than someone who could give him a real fight.
Last updated on 10/12/2025
