Garcia Tells Ennis To Fight Ortiz Before Kelly

Trainer Robert Garcia wants Jaron Ennis to fight Vergil Ortiz before pursuing undisputed at junior middleweight.

Garcia, whose camp has feuded with Ennis for years, told the Mr. Verzace Podcast that a November showdown would settle the long-running debate over who is better. The rivalry dates to their welterweight days in 2022 and has followed both men up to 154 pounds. "I think Boots, if he really feels comfortable and his team feels they could beat Vergil, why not?" Garcia said, per The Ring. "We're available, November, let's do it. If you beat Vergil, then go after the unifications and undisputed. But in the meantime, show the world that you're better than Vergil."

Kelly's Injuries Complicate Matchroom Plans

Ennis stopped Xander Zayas in seven rounds at the end of June and now sits two belts away from undisputed. A three-belt unification with IBF champion Josh Kelly appears next on the Matchroom calendar, though Kelly is nursing facial damage from his July 25 war with Caoimhin Agyarko. The British fighter reportedly suffered a broken nose and cuts above and below both eyes. His trainer Adam Booth said Kelly would need eight weeks to heal, which could push a November clash with Ennis into rushed territory.

Garcia argued that Kelly will still be recovering even if a doctor clears him, and that the unification belts will always be there. Ennis and Ortiz nearly finalized terms earlier this year before contractual issues with Golden Boy derailed the fight. Ortiz has since resolved those problems through arbitration and is targeting a November return, a year after his second-round stoppage of Erickson Lubin. WBC titlist Sebastian Fundora is slated to face Ermal Hadribeaj on October 17, leaving Kelly as the most immediate path to additional hardware for Ennis.

Garcia closed with a challenge: prove you are better than Ortiz first, then chase undisputed. The unification fights, he said, are not going anywhere.

Source: ringmagazine.com