Vergil Ortiz Jnr’s manager responded forcefully Tuesday to Golden Boy Promotions chairman Oscar De La Hoya telling BoxingScene Monday that they were “moving on” from a showdown with fellow unbeaten 154lbs talent Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
“I have the right to negotiate with anyone,” Ortiz manager Rick Mirigian said to BoxingScene. “They (Golden Boy) don’t have the authorization to say [the deal must be] 60% to 40% [in Ortiz’s favor] – 60-40 of what? You can’t ‘move on’ when no one has spoken to us, and we have the right to negotiate.
“We do want this fight.”
Mirigian said the contract between Ortiz, 24-0 (22KOs) - the current WBC interim 154lbs titlist - and Golden Boy stipulates that the fighter must be presented with three opponents to choose from before any bout is made.
He said Philadelphia’s recent unified welterweight champion Ennis 35-0 (31KOs) has been the only opponent presented. Worse, the presented offer carried a financial figure that was far lacking what many observers assess as the best boxing match that can be made today, a battle between two under-30 talents each possessing destructive power and relentless skill.
“We were given one number, and we gave a counter that was denied [in late December],” Mirigian said.
Over the weekend, De La Hoya instituted his own deadline for Ennis promoter Eddie Hearn to respond to a 60%-40% purse split that would award 5% to the winner, exposing possible loser Ennis to 35%.
When Hearn didn’t contact De La Hoya by Monday late afternoon, De La Hoya said he was moving on.
To who? asks Mirigian.
WBC full 154lbs beltholder Sebastian Fundora is expected to defend his belt against former unified welterweight titlist Keith Thurman March 21, according to boxing officials. Errol Spence Jnr - another opponent floated by De La Hoya – was seen vacationing in Curacao on Instagram Monday. The former three-belt welterweight title claimant hasn’t fought since July 2023.
The planned Ortiz fight date is March 28.
Hearn said in a recent YouTube interview that there is prior written documentation revealing the framework of a proposal made previously – 55% to Ortiz, 45% to Ennis .
Mirigian said he was told no such deal in writing was ever made. He also insists his counteroffer to Golden Boy was a “bargain,” a set figure for Ortiz, freeing the others [Ennis, DAZN, Golden Boy, Hearn’s Matchroom] to divide up the upside.
“If you want ‘Boots’ to fight Ortiz, call me,” Mirigian said. “We are not ‘moving on.’ We will negotiate. Vergil wants to make this fight, and so do I.”
The chaos occurs amid industry speculation that DAZN and Golden Boy may be nearing the end of a union that began in 2018, when then-Golden Boy fighter Canelo Alvarez fought Rocky Fielding in New York.
A Golden Boy card headlined by welterweight contenders Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel takes place Friday night in Palm Springs, California.
The DAZN calendar is void of a Golden Boy card afterward, with the exception of a Ring Magazine card February 21 headlined by Golden Boy’s most popular fighter, Ryan Garcia. Golden Boy’s logo appears along with TGB Promotions - representing WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios - but the show is run by Sela and Ring Magazine owner Turki Alalshikh.
There is fervent industry buzz that Garcia will be represented by another lead promoter moving forward.
Otherwise, several younger Golden Boy fighters are part of a January 23 club show in Long Beach, California. The arrangement is similar to the current path with Top Rank fighters, as that promotion has performed without a broadcast deal since its deal with ESPN ended in July after eight years together.
Risking souring a relationship with Ortiz amid all this confounds many observing the Ortiz-Ennis situation. They are puzzled why Saudi Arabia financier Turki Alalshikh is not stepping in to provide the funds to make the appealing Ortiz-Ennis fight happen while instead backing less-action fighters including Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney.
De La Hoya’s “Clapback Thursday” social-media criticism of the new Alalshikh/Saudi Arabia-backed Zuffa Boxing promotion may be behind it.
Amid the fray, Mirigian said he’s determined to strike the best deal for his fighter.
“I like and respect Oscar De La Hoya,” noted Mirigian. “He is one of the greatest fighters in history and a tremendous promoter, but I’m being forced into a position to protect my fighter, and I will do that.”
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.
