A highly-anticipated all-American bout between IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis and WBC interim super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. had been largely considered to be in negotiations after both Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya―the respective promoters of Ennis and Ortiz―expressed interest in making the fight. However, the fight appears to have been a victim of social media rumors and misinformation rather than substantive facts; mirrored by Ennis’ reply on social media which suggests he has also been confused by the reports circulating the internet.
Media speculated widely about a potential Jaron Ennis (33-0, 29 KO’s) versus Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KO’s) bout set to be held next year on a Riyadh Season card, but internet rumors circulating the web has largely confuddled what actually transpired.
Reports of the bout being in the making were initially sparked by BoxingScene’s Lance Pugmire who reported last week that a “verbal agreement” had been reached between the two parties according to “an official familiar with the negotiations”. Supposedly, this match would see Ennis challenge for Ortiz Jr.’s WBC interim super welterweight (154 lbs) title.
However, the veracity of these reports had always been in doubt. Following Ennis’ November 9th bout against Karen Chukhadzhian, the prospect of him facing Ortiz next had been initially proposed by his promoter for―Golden Boy Promotions chairman and founder Oscar De La Hoya―a Riyadh Season card moments after the November 9 fight.
During the post-match press conference for the bout, Ennis’ promoter, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, seemed to entertain the prospect of a Ennis-Ortiz bout but noted that Ennis still had the intention to stay at welterweight (147 lbs):
“The reason we fought [Karen] Chukhadzhian tonight was because Boots has a desire to capture the other championships at 147 [lbs],” Hearn stated during the press conference. “So we got to review that position, we’ve got to look at the option versus Vergil Ortiz, we got to look at the financial package of that fight as well.
“I never like giving up world titles but sometimes the time is right and we may get a substantial offer to fight Vergil Ortiz in Saudi Arabia. And then, from there, it’s on Jaron [Ennis] and Bozy [Ennis, Jaron’s father]. That’s it.“
With Ortiz’ move to 154 lbs having been made because he felt he could no longer make weight at 147-pounds, a fight between Ortiz and Ennis would only be conceivable at super welterweight―and possibly culminate in Ennis vacating his IBF welterweight title.
As Hearn indicated, the prospect of a fight between the two American fighters would be most plausible if Riyadh Season, managed by General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman Turki Alalshikh, would be involved due to their profligacy in offering steep guarantees for fighters on their cards.
While no verifiable report of Riyadh Season attempting to make a Ortiz-Ennis bout emerged, Derek “Bozy” Ennis―Jaron Ennis’ father and trainer―did claim two weeks prior that Vergil Ortiz Jr. and/or his team had rejected offers for a fight, which sparked confusion as it had been unclear whether the two parties had been in negotiations to begin with:
“We already asked about that and they said they turned it down,” Bozy stated during an interview with Boxing News. “I don’t know if it was Golden Boy, I don’t know who it was, but they said they turned it down. We’ll fight him in a heartbeat.“
Likely, Bozy was referring to Rick Mirigian, Ortiz’ manager, who himself would come out to dispute Bozy Ennis’ claims of having turned down a fight between his client, Vergil Ortiz, and Jaron Ennis:
“[Jaron Ennis] you said you wanted [Vergil Ortiz Jr.] at 154 [lbs] about 22 times,” Mirigian posted on Instagram this past weekend. “Your father said you guys made us an offer and we rejected it on video 2 weeks ago―which as we all know is not true and someone had to lie to him.“
Eddie Hearn would further entice speculation by referring to February 22 as a potential date for the Ortiz-Ennis fight:
“Without a doubt [I would put Boots in with Vergil], I mean we’re already talking about that fight,” Hearn stated on DAZN’s “Ariel X Ade” show. “One thing we have to acknowledge is that DAZN invested a lot of money in Boots Ennis, and the plan was to do a big unification fight in the spring [of 2025], so obviously this fight would land on February 22nd in Saudi Arabia.
“If it’s acceptable to DAZN and the plan they have for Jaron “Boots” Ennis, we’re okay with it.“
With February 22 rumored to be part of a Riyadh Season card that will feature a rematch between light-heavyweights (175 lbs) Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, a bout between Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. would perfectly complement the card.
However, Jaron Ennis would come out to debunk any and all of the rumors by stating he was unaware there were negotiations for a fight with Vergil Ortiz:
“I [have] seen the rumors on social media just like y’all did,” Ennis responded on social media on November 30. “As far as the fight is with me and [Vergil], I was unaware that alleged negotiations was being made on my end.
“From here on out, if it didn’t come from ME and ME only, don’t believe it. And I will address if I’m staying at [147 lbs] or moving up to [154 lbs] at a later date.“
Ennis’ assertions that he was “unaware that alleged negotiations was being made on my end” seems to misconstrue the reality of there never having been negotiations in the first place. Hearn’s prior statements and past reports suggest that there had been discussions between the two promotions but no formal negotiations―which both fighters would be aware of given their managers would be conducting these negotiations.
There have, however, been talks for a fight between Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz between their promoters which have now halted as Hearn revealed Jaron Ennis was still deciding whether to stay at welterweight, or move up to the 154 lbs division to potentially face Vergil Ortiz:
“When we got proposed the [Ortiz-Ennis] fight it was at 147 [pounds], which was obviously a no-brainer,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground. “Then we [were] told it was at 154 [pounds], which was fine, but it’s just timing really.
“We’ve got unification fights in the work and Boots has got to decide to vacate the [IBF welterweight] title to move up to fight for no title but timewise, if they’re [Golden Boy Promotions] looking to announce it today [November 30], it probably won’t happen.
“It’s on Boots, it’s up to him, and he hasn’t made a decision about his weight class yet but he’s still leaning towards trying to unify, so that’s probably going to be the option.“
While Jaron Ennis appears to have been misinformed about the discussions between his promotion of Matchroom and Golden Boy for a potential Ennis-Ortiz bout, the decision to face him does appear to hinge on himself per Hearn’s words―which Ennis’ social media post appeared to echo.
As such, despite the multiple instances a Ennis-Ortiz has been reported to be in the works, the decision appears to be entirely in the hands of Jaron Ennis who is expected to clarify his decision in the upcoming weeks and reveal whether he will remain at welterweight or move up and commence his career with a fight at 154-pounds against potentially Vergil Ortiz.
