Vergil Ortiz responds after Boots Ennis says team avoided fight

Unbeaten fighters blame each other after negotiations stalled

Jaron “Boots” Ennis says the long-discussed fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. stalled because the other side didn’t want it. Vergil Ortiz says that claim ignores the legal problems that complicated negotiations. The two unbeaten fighters exchanged posts on X on Thursday, turning a long-rumored welterweight showdown into a public dispute.

Ennis first voiced frustration after months of silence surrounding the potential fight.

“I did everything in my power to make this fight happen for the fans,” Ennis wrote on X. “I waited long enough and stayed quiet through it all. It looks like Vergil or his team really didn’t want to fight.”

Ennis added that he personally confronted Ortiz in November when he attended Ortiz’s fight in his hometown. The IBF welterweight champion said he made it clear at that time that he wanted the fight next and believed the moment could push the bout toward negotiations.

“I came to his fight in his hometown and told him he was next,” Ennis wrote, pointing to that moment as proof he attempted to move the matchup forward.

Ortiz responded roughly an hour later with a message suggesting the situation was more complicated than Ennis described. The Texas fighter said the bout had been explored but ran into legal complications that prevented it from moving forward.

“Since nobody is smart enough to know how to read between the lines and see we actually tried to make the fight happen despite all the ongoing legal issues, I’ll spell it out for you and everybody else,” Ortiz wrote on X.

Ortiz did not outline the details of those legal issues in the post. However, his reference appears connected to ongoing industry disputes that have complicated negotiations around certain fights involving promoters and broadcast partners in recent months.

The exchange between Ennis and Ortiz highlights how one of the most anticipated fights in the welterweight picture remains unresolved. Both fighters have built reputations as dangerous punchers and unbeaten contenders who fans have long wanted to see meet in the ring.

For now, the public disagreement on social media has only added another chapter to a fight that continues to be discussed but has yet to be finalized.