“Eddie did not call me, so I am moving on.”
Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions told BoxingScene Monday his self-imposed deadline for a response from promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing has gone unanswered, meaning De Le Hoya will take his fighter Vergil Ortiz Jnr somewhere other than a fight with Hearn’s fighter, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, next.
Messages left for Hearn were not immediately returned.
De La Hoya posted a weekend Instagram Reel proposing a 60-40 purse split in the favor of Texas’ interim WBC 154lbs titleholder Ortiz, 24-0 (22 KOs), over interim WBA titleholder and recent unified welterweight champion Ennis, 35-0 (31KOs), with the winner earning 5%.
On Monday’s edition of ProBox TV’s “BoxingScene Today,” analyst and former two-division titleholder Paulie Malignaggi correctly deduced that Philadelphia’s Ennis would not only be leaving his comfort zone by most likely taking the fight to Las Vegas, but also risking a 35% purse split by losing.
“I get the feeling this fight’s doomed,” fellow analyst and former 140lbs titleholder Chris Algieri said. “There’s guys who make fights, and guys who make disruptions.”
Algieri didn’t specify which guy in the process he was alluding to, but he, herds of fight fans and the fighters’ streaming partner DAZN clearly wanted the Ortiz-Ennis fight to happen now – with them both unbeaten and both under 30.
“I just want to see them in their primes.”
De La Hoya is expected to initiate contact with WBC junior middleweight titleholder Sebastian Fundora’s representatives, and he said on his Reel that former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jnr, also of Texas, is also a possible future foe for the 27-year-old Ortiz.
Algieri said on Monday’s show that he viewed Ortiz-Ennis “as close to a 50-50 fight as there can be,” adding Ortiz’s ability to attract the vibrant Latino fan base provides him more leverage in the talks.
Malignaggi also credited Ortiz’s stiffer resume as a badge, noting he’s defeated interim 154lbs titleholder Serhii Bohachuk, former WBA 154lbs titleholder Israil Madrimov and former title challenger Erickson Lubin in succession.
Ennis, 28, settled for a debut in his new weight class against Uisma Lima and knocked him out in the first round in Philadelphia.
“If [Ortiz] doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen, but I don’t want to see Jaron in another fight against a guy who delivers my room service,” Malignaggi said. “If he does, that’s a Jaron issue. Then, you have to question the character.”
For now, however, WBO titleholder Xander Zayas is fighting primary WBA titleholder Abass Baraou on January 31, while Bakhram Murtazaliev is defending his IBF belt the same day against England’s Josh Kelly.
“It’s really compounded against Ennis. It’s more a disruption than a deal,” Algieri said on the show, taped hours before De La Hoya spoke to BoxingScene. “If they throw a bunk deal at him, there is a real worry.
“This is going to be real interesting to see how these guys part ways.”
Malignaggi said if there’s any light at the end of the tunnel, it’s that Ortiz has proven he’ll participate in rugged fights, while Ennis has a wealth of depth to select from in the 154lbs pool.
“I want to see competition, no showcase fights,” Malignaggi said.
Algieri fretted that the division may ultimately scar their records, however, and wondered what Ortiz’s demands will be should he win a full title.
“80-20?” he asked.
