Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis sent a message to promoter Oscar De La Hoya, telling him to sign the contract for his fighter, Vergil Ortiz Jr., to fight him next. That’s the fight that Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) wants to increase his popularity before he moves on to face the four champions at 154.
“I’m coming. Tell him to sign the contract,” said Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to iFL TV when asked if he has a message for Vergil Ortiz’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, following his win over Uisma Lima last Saturday night.
Golden Boy Stays Silent After KO Win
De La Hoya didn’t directly say he’ll give the green light for Vergil Jr. to fight ‘Boots’ Ennis last Saturday night when he posted twice on his X account following his first-round knockout win over Uisma Lima. Instead of telling his followers he wants to make the fight, De La Hoya said, “Only one name at 154, Vergil Ortiz.”
Is Oscar Protecting His Last Big Star?
That could mean that he’s just letting his fans know that Vergi Jr. is superior to Ennis, but he’s not going to make the fight. De La Hoya doesn’t have a lot of stars other than Ryan Garcia, and his situation is shaky. If Ortiz Jr. loses to Ennis. It’s going to be hard to rebuild him.
“He’s got an important fight coming up against Lubin. Let him handle his business, and I’ll fight the winner,” said Ennis.
Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) has a good chance of defeating Ortiz Jr. if he can use his boxing skills and move like he did in his 12-round unanimous decision win over Jesus Ramos Jr. on September 30, 2023. It’s going to be a lot harder for Erickson to do the same to Ortiz Jr.
Tim Bradley: “Ortiz Can’t Beat Ennis”
“Vergil Ortiz can’t beat ‘Boots’ Ennis. Vergil Ortiz, make sure you get past Lubin,” said Tim Bradley on his channel. “The next fight is going to be against ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Ortiz Jr. has a chance of beating Ennis if he can take his big shots and apply the kind of pressure on him that he did in his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov on February 22, 2025.
‘Boots’ will likely use a lot of movement to stay out of range of Vergil’s shots and try to outbox him if he can’t handle his power.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2018.
