Vergil Ortiz Jnr and Golden Boy set for July 14 arbitration
Apr 20, 2026 • 12:31 PM ET
Golden Boy / Cris EsquedaVergil Ortiz Jnr and Golden Boy Promotions are scheduled to begin their mediation process in Las Vegas on July 14, with the unbeaten junior-middleweight seeking to extricate himself from a once-tight connection with Oscar De La Hoya.
Amid opposing lawsuits – with Texas’ Ortiz 24-0 (22 KOs) claiming his earning-power for an anticipated showdown with Jaron “Boots” Ennis was diminished while Golden Boy argues Ortiz manager Rick Mirigian sought to move the fighter toward another promoter – the matter is on track for a resolution by September.
Nevada District Judge Cristina D. Silva last month sent the case to arbitration and issued an injunction forbidding WBC interim champion Ortiz, 27, from dealing with third parties until a resolution was struck.
According to documents revealed in Ortiz’s lawsuit, he could have earned a minimum $16 million to fight Philadelphia’s former unified welterweight champion Ennis 35-0 (31 KOs) while Golden Boy offered him $3 million.
Ennis personally attended Ortiz’s second-round knockout of Erickson Lubin in Fort Worth, Texas, in November, and the pair – who both fight on DAZN – were in talks to fight later this spring.
Those talks crumbled as the Ortiz-Golden Boy relationship deteriorated, and Ennis has since moved on to accept a WBO/WBA unified 154lbs title shot at unbeaten champion Xander Zayas June 27 at Barclays Center in New York.
The arbitration hearing is expected to be a three-day affair, with each side allowed to submit written closing statements by early August.
The arbitrator will then consider the arguments and issue a ruling to Judge Silva by early September, when she would likely confirm the ruling. Silva had requested the sides to conclude the process by September.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
