Golden Boy’s chairman says negotiations are underway for two marquee fights as the promotion builds an ambitious late-summer boxing schedule
Oscar De La Hoya says Golden Boy Promotions is working to finalize two of boxing’s biggest potential fights, with Vergil Ortiz Jr. facing Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Ryan Garcia linked to Conor Benn. The promoter revealed both plans while outlining the company’s schedule for the remainder of the summer.
After promoting Golden Boy’s August 1 card in Las Vegas, headlined by William Zepeda defending his WBC lightweight title against Lamont Roach, De La Hoya pointed to another fight he hopes to put together.
“Working on Vergil Ortiz versus Boots. Vergil Ortiz wants to fight. Let’s make that happen. It all depends on Boots,” said De La Hoya.
Ortiz has repeatedly called for the biggest available fights at 154 pounds, while Ennis recently moved up after vacating his welterweight titles. If negotiations advance, the unbeaten pair would meet in one of the division’s most anticipated matchups.
De La Hoya then provided an update on Ryan Garcia’s next fight.
“Working on Ryan Garcia versus Benn. I just got the memo today. So, that’s the fight that everybody wants to see. So, I’m gonna make it happen for you guys,” he said.
The comments marked a sharp change in tone from De La Hoya, who recently questioned reports linking Garcia to Conor Benn and suggested fans were more interested in seeing Ryan pursue other opponents. While no official announcement has been made, he now says Golden Boy is actively trying to finalize the bout.
De La Hoya also highlighted several other fights on Golden Boy’s schedule, including Floyd Schofield Jr. (“Kid Austin”) facing Lucas Bahdi for the full WBA lightweight title after Gervonta Davis was designated champion in recess, along with Oscar Collazo moving up two weight classes to challenge unified flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval.
If those plans come together, Golden Boy will have a packed second half of the summer featuring multiple title fights and several of the promotion’s biggest names in action.
