FORT WORTH, Texas – Vergil Ortiz Jnr needed only one more round to top what Jaron “Boots” Ennis did in his fall showcase fight.
Ortiz, 24-0 (22 KOs), scored a second-round technical knockout of former title challenger Erickson Lubin on Saturday night at Dickies Arena.
Unleashing a punishing combination to Lubin’s head as the Florida fighter was reeling backed to the ropes, referee James Green stopped the fight 1 minute and 30 seconds into the second round to send Ortiz toward a mega-showdown with Ennis in early 2026.
Ortiz fought with recent unified welterweight champion Ennis watching from ringside, fueling the fervent interest in an early 2026 showdown of the unbeaten Americans performing in their prime.
Philadelphia’s Ennis made his 154lbs debut last month with a first-round knockout victory in what he called a tune-up fight.
After they mostly jostled for position in the first, with southpaw Lubin sending jabs, Ortiz landed three clean right hands to the face, drawing cheers of “Ortiz” from his home crowd.
He then went for the kill, and ended it.
Ennis, meanwhile, made clear his intention that he wants Ortiz next by coming to ringside, telling DAZN in a pre-fight interview that he was willing to risk flight delays caused by the government’s shutdown effect on air-traffic controllers to reach Texas.
“I'm letting everybody know – this is the fight I want next,” Ennis said. “All the government stuff going on, I wanted to make sure I was here and let everyone know this is the fight I want.”
He dismissed comments made by ProBoxTV analyst and Ortiz trainer Robert Garcia that Ennis wants another fight.
"I don't know where he’s getting his stuff from, claiming I want a fight in between,” Ennis said. “He’s the same guy saying two weeks ago that I should send a message and be here to sell the fight. Well, I’m here, so what now?
"This fight has so much hype behind it. Even more than it did two months ago. And I got a good fan base. So let's go."
Ennis promoter Eddie Hearn said the fact that both fighters are under the DAZN banner should ease the effort to make the fight.
“We had a very positive conversation in the DAZN office about six months ago,” Hearn said. “We agreed we would fight in October, they would fight in November and then we would move forward. We signed on our side. I don't know what's going on with their side, though [Golden Boy president] Eric Gomez told me they're still interested. So we will see.
"Let's give the American fight fans and the DAZN viewers the fight they want to see. It's the perfect matchup, two guys in their prime. Let's not marinate it. Let's just go through with it."
Ennis listened and responded, “He ain't said nothing but the truth. I'm the best 154-pounder in the world. These guys can't tie my shoes.”
Texas’ Ortiz would argue, however, that he dared to take on a far stiffer fall test, as the WBC interim 154lbs belt holder opted for a third consecutive demanding opponent after overcoming two knockdowns to defeat Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk by majority decision in August 2024, then more convincingly topping former WBA 154lbs titlist Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision in February.
Lubin had only lost to former undisputed 154lbs champion Jermell Charlo – who was in attendance Saturday – and current WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora.
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
