Eddie Hearn has to compliment Uisma Lima to help sell tickets and convince critics that Jaron Ennis’ largely unknown opponent isn’t in over his head.

Every boxing promoter pumps up the “B” side to varying degrees. Hearn, however, seemingly believes that the Angolan contender earned his shot to face hometown favorite Ennis on October 11 at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on DAZN.

Matchroom Boxing’s chairman can’t help but feel fans’ vitriolic reaction to the matchup is based almost entirely on their unfamiliarity with Lima (14-1, 10 KOs).

“In the UK and in Europe, the Boots fight has gone down really well because people know Lima,” Hearn told The Ring. “He’s a [expletive] tough handful. … But in America, it’s like, 'Who’s Lima?’”

Oddsmakers obviously disagree. They’ve consistently established Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs, 1 NC) as at least a 20-1 favorite to win in his junior middleweight debut.

Lima lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) in June 2023 in London. He took that fight on very short notice, though, and has won four straight fights since then, the last three against unbeaten opponents on their home soil.

“This guy has one defeat and he took that fight on four days’ notice,” Hearn said. “He keeps going into everyone’s backyards and keeps beating them. He has no fear. He’s a big, strong 154-pounder that can punch. He’s young, and most of all he’s dying for this opportunity. And you’ve got these other guys that are basically looking for a payday, that’s it.”

Ennis, 28, and Lima, 32, will meet in a 12-round WBA elimination match to determine its mandatory challenger for a title Terence Crawford still holds. It is unlikely the winner would actually get a shot at Crawford, who has moved up to the super middleweight maximum of 168 pounds to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

If his fighter wins, Hearn expects Ennis to face Vergil Ortiz early next year in one of the bouts boxing fans most want to watch. Ennis has been bombarded with criticism for fighting Lima before he opposes Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), who also must beat Erickson Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) on November 8 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Hearn reminded Ennis’ detractors that the former Ring/IBF/WBA welterweight champ’s plan was always to get acclimated to his new division in one bout before he agreed to face Ortiz or another top 154-pounder.

“We had long conversations with Boots,” Hearn recalled, “who basically said, ‘Look, I’m going up to ’54 to fight everybody – Ortiz, [Bakhram] Murtazaliev, [Sebastian] Fundora, whoever. But I want to have a fight first and I want to get my body [adjusted] at the weight, and I want a competitive, top-10 guy.’ Then the WBA allowed this fight as a final eliminator. Lima’s top 10 I think with three governing bodies, he’s IBO world champion, he’s 11 on BoxRec or whatever it is.

“This is a really, really good, solid fight. Now, I know that fans, they just want the Ortiz fight straight away. But I don’t think there’s anything unreasonable about a guy moving up a division and saying, 'I’m just gonna have one fight to get it right.’ Because when you go in against Ortiz and [Xander] Zayas and Fundora and Murtazaliev, you’ve got to be a 100 percent ready. And he will beat them all.”