By Elliot Raines: Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed last night that he and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will be present this Saturday for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin fight on November 8th at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lubin Could Change Everything
Hearn says Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) wants to be there because he’s hoping to face WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs).
It’s unclear if Vergil Jr. and his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions want to face Ennis next in early 2026. By being ringside, ‘Boots’ and Hearn can use this as a way of creating public pressure. Hearn mentioned last week that Golden Boy has gone quiet about matching Vergil Jr. against Ennis. At this point, he’s unsure if they still want that fight.
If Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) is victorious on Saturday, it could make Hearn’s job easier because he’s fearless and will likely take the fight with Ennis, as long as it pays.
“We’ll be there next week. You should ask them. ” We want the fight,” Eddie Hearn told Carlos Linares last Saturday night, referring to his and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ plans to be ringside for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin fight this Saturday, November 8th, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Golden Boy Quiet on 2026 Talks
Hearn didn’t sound entirely confident that Vergil Jr. and Golden Boy would make the fight. The way that Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya has talked, it sounds to some that he’s playing games and has no interest in letting his golden goose, Vergil Jr., fight Ennis to watch him lose. He obviously saw what happened to Ennis’s last opponent, Uisma Lima, who was knocked out in the first round on October 11, 2025.
De La Hoya Pushes Back
“We all know Boots doesn’t want to fight Vergil,” said De La Hoya to the media, making it appear to them that it is Ennis who doesn’t want the fight rather than them.
“I’m not wasting my time going to Dallas on holiday. It’s not my show. I could quite do with a weekend off. But ‘Boots’ wants to go. He wants to show the world that we want the fight, and we want it now. Don’t duck, don’t run. But he [Vergil Ortiz Jr.] has to beat Lubin first. It’s a great fight. We’ll see,” said Hearn.
It’s worrisome that Hearn has been ghosted by Golden Boy, with them no longer responding to him about making the fight between Vergil Jr. and Ennis. Being at ringside on Saturday night for Ortiz Jr-Lubin might not change anything. If De La Hoya and Golden Boy don’t want that fight for their money fighter, Vergil Jr., it won’t matter if ‘Boots’ is there.
Plan B Options on the Table
“Murtazaliev, Fundora, Baraou, Zayas, and Charlo. I don’t know, but it’ll be a big fight,” said Hearn when asked if he has a ‘Plan B’ option if he’s unable to deliver the Ennis vs. Vergil Jr. contest.
It would be smart for Hearn to start planning a fight for Ennis against one of those fighters. That should have already been their first priority when Golden Boy stopped talking to them about making the fight between Vergil Jr. and Ennis.
Elliot Raines has covered British and European boxing since 2010. Known for his sharp pen and low tolerance for hype, Raines dissects the sport’s politics, promoters, and paper champions with dry precision.