Ortiz–Ennis Talks Continue as Saudi Funding Falls Away

The talk hasn’t stopped, but the money has definitely changed. For months, everyone in boxing assumed Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron “Boots” Ennis would eventually get pushed across the finish line by Saudi funding. That cushion is gone now. Without it, the fight has crashed back into the real market, and it hasn’t been a smooth landing.

Once you remove a third party willing to eat the risk, the math shifts fast. Oscar De La Hoya spent the week insisting that talks with DAZN are still alive, but the vibe has shifted from “get ready” to “don’t worry.” This isn’t about announcing a massive event anymore. It is about whether the numbers can actually make sense. Without a safety net, every single percentage point is a battle, and small disagreements are starting to turn into walls.

The calendar is not helping either. That March 28 date in Las Vegas that was practically gift wrapped for Ortiz and Ennis is officially gone, now taken by Sebastian Fundora’s defense against Keith Thurman. Losing that slot kills the urgency and the leverage all at once. It also makes waiting around a lot more expensive.

Ennis has other options, but they tell a different story. He could chase the winner of Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly or take a grueling technical test against Israil Madrimov. Those fights keep him active and keep his name respected, but they don’t give him what a win over Ortiz would.

This isn’t about heart. Both guys want to prove they’re the king at 154 pounds, but getting the fight done has become impossible. The problem is the business itself. Ortiz’s legal mess with Golden Boy only makes a tight financial situation tighter, and who knows how that’l take. In a market that turned cold almost overnight, those kinds of headaches carry a lot of weight.

At this stage, it comes down to one thing. Is Ortiz vs. Ennis a fight the industry feels it has to make, or is it a luxury that gets tossed aside once the accountants start looking at the spreadsheet?

This is a reality check for the post subsidy era of boxing. When the “infinite money” disappeared, it exposed just how difficult it is to pair two undefeated stars under a traditional broadcast model. If this fight falls through, it tells us that 154 pounds is back to being a division of “what if” instead of “who’s next.”