Trainer Robert Garcia says Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is not only the biggest fight at 154, but the “biggest fight in boxing” that won’t have any belts at stake, aside from two interim titles.
The Toll of Back-to-Back Wars
WBC interim Vergil Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) still needs to win his fight against Erickson Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) on November 8, 2025, at the Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas. It would be a mistake for trainer Robert Garcia to assume that Ortiz Jr., 27, is going to win, given how close his last two fights were against Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk.
Vergil Jr. took a pounding in both of those fights, and he physically looked like the loser due to the bruising and swelling that was inflicted on him. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he loses to Erickson on November 8th.
Vergil took a career’s worth of punishment in back-to-back fights and arguably was beaten by Bohachuk in their fight on August 10, 2024. Ortiz Jr. was dropped twice in that fight and gifted a decision. Then walked away without giving Bohachuk a rematch.
No Belts, Just Bragging Rights
“That’s the biggest fight in boxing with no belts,” said trainer Robert Garcia to Fight Hub TV about Jaron Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. “I was asked, ‘Why won’t you take a fight against Bakhram [Murtazaliev]?’ I told them, ‘Vergil has had health issues in the past, and everybody knows it. So, he can’t do the 10-lb the next day. Vergil, it’s impossible,” said Robert about why Ortiz Jr. can’t fight IBF 154-lb champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Jeepers’ Viewpoint: The Real Superfight
Ennis-Ortiz Jr. is a good fight, but hardly the “biggest” in the sport. A bigger fight at 154 would be ‘Boots’ vs. Sebastian Fundora. That would crossover, attracting fans nationwide. Fundora is half Mexican. His father is Cuban, and his mother is Mexican.
‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora is fighting at a much higher level than Vergil Jr. right now. A match between him and ‘Boots’ Ennis would bring in a lot of PPV buys on DAZN.
“If we try to do it where we force him, we could actually hurt him [Vergil]. So, we go out for the biggest fight out there. It’s ‘Boots.’ They don’t have to have a belt. They can fight for the interim titles, and it’s a huge fight,” said Robert about Ennis and Vergil Jr., both of whom are interim champions at 154.
Jeepers Isaac has been covering boxing since 2020, bringing readers sharp ringside insights and timely analysis on the sport’s biggest moments.
