FORT WORTH, Texas – This is new ground in the skyward career of unbeaten junior middleweight Vergil Ortiz Jnr, who will confront a fierce challenge Saturday night while knowing a star-making bout lies beyond that as long as he executes this first mission.
“It’s in the back of mind – I’m not thinking about it,” Ortiz said of knowing that unbeaten former unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis of Philadelphia has ventured to Ortiz’s home state to take a ringside seat for Saturday’s DAZN-streamed Ortiz main event versus former 154lbs title challenger Erickson Lubin.
How does Ortiz know he can remain focused on the task at hand?
“When there’s someone in front of you who wants to punch you in the face, it’s not that hard not to not think about [what’s next],” Ortiz cracked.
The 27-year-old unbeaten WBC junior middleweight interim titleholder from nearby Grand Prairie, Texas, Ortiz has this home-state bout at Dickies Arena to position himself for a likely early-2026 showdown in Las Vegas against Ennis 35-0 (31 KOs).
More than that, Ortiz, 23-0 (21 KOs), longs to fulfill a quest to stage a dream title bout at Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium, after telling Jones he would do so years ago when he fought on a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez undercard and then reunited with Jones on “Monday Night Football” to ask, “Remember me?”
Ortiz promoter Oscar De La Hoya said the match with the 30-year-old Lubin, nicknamed “Hammer,” has the potential to become a “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots fight,” since Ortiz is typically intent to inflict pain on his opponent and Lubin is desperate to regain a title shot after losing his first at age 22 by first-round knockout to Texas’ Jermell Charlo.
“Both guys are skilled, both want to hurt and knock each other out and both want to put on a good show,” De La Hoya said. “Both guys are on the incline, and yet we’re catching two guys with literally everything to lose. That’s why it’ll be a great fight.”
Ortiz has longed for a title fight that he was deprived of in years past as De La Hoya’s rival promoters Premier Boxing Champions and Top Rank steered their welterweight champions clear of the younger challenger.
Instead, Ortiz moved up to 154lbs and committed to taking the best fights possible as champions again maintained disinterest.
He fought through two knockdowns to defeat Serhii Bohachuk by majority decision in 2024, then defeated former WBA belt holder Israel Madrimov in February by scores that were wider than five-division champion Terence Crawford’s scorecard versus the Uzbekistan fighter six months earlier.
De La Hoya said Ortiz’s instructions to his management to find him the best possible opponent is rare behavior in a sport that favors protecting the “zero” on the loss ledger.
“I promote the way I fight – I like putting my fighters in a real test,” said Hall of Famer De La Hoya, who defeated the respected likes of Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey and Oba Carr while elevating himself to the sport’s stratosphere. “Lubin is a No. 1 contender and has been in there with world champions.
“I strongly feel that Vergil Ortiz will be the next superstar in boxing. He’s on the right path, on the right trajectory, fighting the right guys. Beating Lubin will obviously take him to a superfight. He has the opportunity to win Saturday, and he has the opportunity to taste superstardom.”
Said Ortiz: “I want to prove to myself that I’m one of the best boxers of today. This is the only way I can do it.”
After Ennis disposed of a “tune-up” opponent with a first-round knockout last month, Ortiz briefly considered the future bout Thursday by stating that while he still wants to meet 154lbs titlists that include Sebastian Fundora, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou, Ennis is just as formidable.
“Even though Jaron doesn’t have a title after just moving up, I think he’s still a renowned fighter, and a win against him on my resume would speak volumes,” Ortiz said.
“Whatever the fans want … and I don’t think the fans complain when I fight.”
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.
