The Golden Boy promoter congratulated Jaron Ennis before urging him to face Vergil Ortiz Jr., insisting his fighter should lead negotiations
Oscar De La Hoya wants Jaron “Boots” Ennis to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. next after Ennis unified the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles with his stoppage victory over Xander Zayas. The Golden Boy promoter praised Ennis’ performance before declaring Ortiz should have the upper hand if negotiations begin.
“Ennis, what a great fight. You are a machine,” De La Hoya said on social media last night. “Let’s make the biggest fight in boxing today. Vergil Ortiz, Boots. Let’s go.” Later, speaking with reporters, De La Hoya made it clear he believes Ortiz should hold the stronger position in any negotiations.
“Virgil Ortiz is the man,” De La Hoya said. “Having this fight in Las Vegas can be huge, but Virgil Ortiz has to be the favorite here when it comes to negotiations. As long as they’re favorable, we’ll make the fight happen. There’s no problems. I think everybody wants to see the fight.”
De La Hoya rejected the idea that money would prevent the bout from happening, saying there would be enough revenue to satisfy both sides if negotiations begin.
Asked whether Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn would argue that Ennis deserves the larger share after becoming a unified champion, De La Hoya dismissed the notion.
“He better not,” De La Hoya said. “There’s no question that I have the man. I feel these negotiations will be negotiations just like any other fight, and they’ll go back and forth, but at the end of the day, Virgil Ortiz is the man.”
De La Hoya also pointed out that Ortiz has other high-profile options if an agreement cannot be reached, naming Errol Spence Jr. and unified WBC and WBO champion Sebastian Fundora as possible alternatives.
The comments came only hours after Boots Ennis said becoming the undisputed champion at 154 pounds remains his priority, although he also said he would welcome a fight with Vergil Jr. if the remaining title fights cannot be secured.
