NEWARK, New Jersey — Brandun Lee believes the timing is perfect for him to move up to the welterweight division.

Lee’s last six appearances technically have come in welterweight bouts because he has boxed above the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds each time. The undefeated Lee still considered himself a junior welterweight because he felt he could get down to 140 pounds for the proper opportunity.

Struggling mightily to make a contracted catchweight of 143 pounds for his fight last Saturday night at Prudential Center convinced Lee that he needs to move up to maximize his potential. The fact that Jaron “Boots” Ennis has announced he’ll give up his Ring, IBF and WBA welterweight titles to compete in the junior middleweight division made Lee’s decision even easier.

“Boots, he’s going up to ’54,” Lee told The Ring after he shut out Elias Damian Araujo on all three scorecards in their eight-rounder. “There’s a whole lot of opportunity at ’47 for me. … I think I can make a lotta noise [at welterweight].”

It seemed a few years ago that Lee (30-0, 23 KOs) was ready to make considerable noise at junior welterweight. Perhaps his most impressive victory, a seventh-round knockout of Juan Heraldez, extended his knockout streak to 15 in December 2021.

The Yuba City, California, native has recorded only one knockout in six fights since he defeated Heraldez. Each of his past three fights have gone the distance, which Lee partially attributes to weight cuts.

“This fight [against Araujo] was at ’43, and I was killing myself to make ’43,” Lee said. “I been making this weight since I was a kid, like 14 years old. My last national tournament, I fought at 138. So, at 26 years old that’s more than 10 years at this weight class. I think it’s time.”

Lee’s easy victory over Argentina’s Araujo (22-6, 9 KOs) ended a 10-month layoff. He took that extended break to earn his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Cal State-San Bernardino, but he also studied the maturation of his body during his hiatus.

“The realization I had with all this time off was I remember I was laying people out nasty, one-punch knockouts,” Lee said. “And now I haven’t had a knockout in a while. I do think it’s because of the weight cut. I think because I’m draining myself so much, my power is not there.”

Lee also acknowledged he needs to improve at cutting off the ring. His failure to do so was another factor in Araujo lasting all eight rounds on the Vito Mielnicki Jr.-Kamil Gardzielik undercard.

Anxious to become busy again, Lee wants to start another knockout streak as a full-fledged welterweight within the next few months.

“I wanna be back in the ring by October,” Lee said. “Back in 2023, I was fighting three times a year and I was rated No. 9 by the IBF. I wanna be right back there and come back for everything. … Two or three fights max, I want an eliminator or something. I’m 26 years old – it’s time to make a name for myself.”