Jaron Ennis And Vergil Ortiz Jr. ‘Verbally’ Agree To Fight

November 28, 2024

3 days

Ennis And Ortiz Jr. 'Verbally' Agree To Fight

Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. have verbally agreed to a fight at junior middleweight on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The fight has been in the making ever since Oscar De La Hoya suggested the idea. He put forward the concept of a 5v5 against Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Hearn does not have the best record in the 5v5 format. This was shown when Hearn faced off against Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions in June. The Matchroom promoter lost all of his fights in a one-sided drubbing. De La Hoya and Hearn do not have the best relationship despite having the same broadcaster in DAZN.

Ennis Vs. Ortiz

It would make sense for them to be on cordial terms to make the biggest fights. However, that tension has created an intriguing landscape for a future 5v5 card. Now, it seems fans could see the first one. Boots is coming off a victory against his IBF welterweight mandatory Karen Chukhadzhian. He took the fight after talks over a unification with Brian Norman Jr. failed.

The latter was offered a reported $1.7 million. However, reports say Norman Jr. wanted $2.2 million as the fight never happened. Ennis eventually took on Karen and beat him. But the performance was underwhelming even with his unanimous decision win. Ennis was hit more than usual. Hearn responded by urging Ennis to unify now, but it seems the decision has been made to go up to 154.

“We’re ready to go for February 22. The plan was to fight Karen and unify but like I said, it’s getting tight there at 147, and we gotta probably move to 154. I think that it’s really a case of just making a fight. I’m sure I’ll get a phone call in the next 10, 15 minutes to confirm the fight. If we do Boots against Virgil Ortiz, it’s one of the best fights in the sport,” Hearn stated

Who Wins?

Ortiz is considered one of the most devastating punchers in the sport. He is undefeated with a 22-0 record, with 21 wins by knockout. The only fight where he failed to stop his opponent was against Serhii Bohachuk in his previous bout. Ortiz won a majority decision and had to get off the canvas twice to take the win. The performance reduced his stock, with many fans believing Serhii should have gotten the decision. There was a narrative in place for a rematch. However, it never happened. Now, Boots and Ortiz could face off.

The bout would be for Ortiz’s WBC Interim Junior Middleweight Title, making the winner mandatory for Sebastian Fundora. The latter is the WBO and WBC Junior Middleweight Champion. He secured the belts after beating Tim Tszyu in a split decision. He has been linked with a fight against Errol Spence Jr. However, no announcement has been made. A verbal agreement appears to be in place for an Ennis-Ortiz bout, meaning an official announcement is needed to confirm everything.