Oscar De La Hoya Starts Jaron Ennis Fight Talks With Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Golden Boy accepts Ennis should receive the larger purse as negotiations begin for a potential junior middleweight showdown.

Oscar De La Hoya says he is opening negotiations for a fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and unified junior middleweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis immediately after publicly backing the matchup. The Golden Boy chairman also acknowledged Ennis should receive the larger share of the purse if a deal is reached.

“The talks will start right now after I have this call with you. I am picking up the phone, and we are starting the talks, De La Hoya told Ariel Helwani. “And I am telling you, that is the fight we want 1,000%. And I know Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis deserves the lion’s share of the pie. We know that. It is fine. Let us just make sure that it is fair for both sides because Vergil Ortiz deserves it. He is a great champion. And obviously this is a great champion.”

By publicly acknowledging Ennis deserves the bigger split, De La Hoya signaled that Golden Boy is approaching discussions from a realistic position. Promoters often spend weeks arguing over financial terms before meaningful progress occurs, but De La Hoya removed one potential obstacle before formal negotiations even begin.

An Ennis vs Ortiz matchup would feature two of the top 154-pound fighters in a bout with major division implications. De La Hoya being willing to concede the financial edge suggests Golden Boy views securing the event as the main goal, provided both camps reach an agreement they consider balanced.