The bout between Khalil Coe and Jesse Hart has been confirmed, along with other matchups, for the undercard of Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs Uisma Lima. The event takes place at Xfinity Mobile Arena (formerly Wells Fargo Center) in Philadelphia, PA, on Saturday, October 11.
Coe (10-1-1, 8 KOs) of Jersey City, NJ, meets local fighter Hart (31-3, 25 KOs) in the co-feature at light heavyweight. Coe puts his US WBC title on the line.
In his previous outing in May, Khalil Coe stopped Manuel Gallegos in the sixth round of their rematch. With the victory, the 29-year-old took revenge and reclaimed the belt.
“Philly, we’re back,” Coe said. “Fighting again on a Boots undercard, so close to home, is truly a blessing. This is a make-or-break fight for both of us. I think I’m the best up-and-coming prospect in the world, and a win over Jesse cements that. That takes me to the next level and has me knocking on the door to big fights in the 175lb division.
“You don’t see guys at my level taking fights like this, but that’s just a testament to the belief I have in myself. Come October 11, I’m planning on making a statement. I tip my hat off to Jesse for taking this fight; I respect him, but come fight night, this is going to be my moment. Big Steppa is coming. I gotta step on you, bro.”
Former two-time title challenger Jesse Hart won his previous bout last April by TKO in the fifth round against Daniel Aduku. With the win, the 36-year-old secured his fifth straight victory, since dropping a split decision to Joe Smith Jr. in early 2020.
“On October 11, we’re in my city, Philadelphia, as the co-main. The city is going to come out and bring the energy,” Hart said. “You don’t want to miss me versus Khalil Coe.”
Other Ennis vs Lima undercard bouts
Also on the Ennis vs Lima undercard, Alexis Barriere (12-0, 10 KOs) of Canada faces Las Vegas-based Guido Vianello (13-3-1, 11 KOs) of Italy for the WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title.
Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1, 6 KOs) of Puerto Rico defends his WBA Continental North America welterweight title against Tahmir Smalls (15-0, 11 KOs) of Philadelphia.
Zaquin Moses (4-0, 3 KOs) of Newark, NJ, takes on Antonio Dunton El Jr. (6-4-2, 2 KOs) of Baltimore, MD, at super featherweight.
On the prelims, Giorgio Visioli (8-0, 6 KOs) of England makes his U.S. debut against James Wilkins (13-3, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, NY, at super featherweight.
Also scheduled to make their ring appearances are Harley Mederos (8-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, NY, at lightweight, Philadelphia’s Dennis Thompson (7-0, 5 KOs) at super bantamweight, and Justin Palmieri (5-0, 3 KOs) of Maple Shade, NJm at lightweight. Their respective opponents are expected to be confirmed shortly.
In the main event, Philadelphia’s former unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) moves up a weight class to face Portugal-based Uisma Lima (14-1, 10 KOs) of Angola. The bout serves as a WBA super welterweight title eliminator.
The current Ennis vs Lima lineup is as follows:
Main card
- Jaron Ennis vs. Uismani Lima
- Khalil Coe vs. Jesse Hart
- Alexis Barriere vs. Guido Vianello
- Jose Roman vs. Tahmir Smalls
- Zaquin Moses vs. Antonio Dunton El Jr.
Prelims
- Giorgio Visioli vs. James Wilkins
- Harley Mederos vs. TBA
- Dennis Thompson vs. TBA
- Justin Palmieri vs. TBA