Ortiz's Manager Says Ennis Fight Can Be Done In 48 Hours

The best fight at 154 pounds is Jaron Ennis against Vergil Ortiz Jr., but the question is whether the business can catch up with the obvious.

Rick Mirigian, Ortiz's manager, believes a deal for an Ennis fight could be completed within 48 to 72 hours if the relevant parties move.

"We have a pathway and foundational structure now if Boots wants to go first. We have a fair deal now laid out. Both sides made some concessions and talked through issues and took care of things that were not there prior. Pending DAZN making some decisions, this could be done in 48 to 72 hours,” Mirigian

Ortiz stopped his November opponent in the second round, with Ennis ringside and calling him out immediately afterward. The fight was building toward reality before Ortiz and Golden Boy became embroiled in opposing lawsuits that derailed negotiations. An arbitration date in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas is still on the calendar and is not moving, which gives the talks an urgency that Mirigian acknowledged directly.

"I'm hopeful the principal people involved don't take much more time and things fall apart. It is boxing, and nothing is ever done till it's done,” Mirigian

Ennis enters the conversation as the newly unified champion, having stopped Xander Zayas in the sixth round at Barclays Center on June 27 to add the WBO and WBA belts to his collection. The Zayas fight was not entirely clean — Ennis was rocked by power shots in the third round, a moment Mirigian referenced pointedly: "The world saw round three against Xander. We all know why the energy to fight Ortiz changed."

The other options for Ennis include WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, though his promoter Sampson Lewkowicz has stated publicly that Fundora will pursue mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj or IBF champion Josh Kelly, who shares Eddie Hearn as a promoter and would make for a straightforward negotiation. Mirigian dismissed the belt accumulation argument entirely. The fight is available. Whether Ennis and his team move toward it is the remaining question.