Vergil Ortiz Jr's Coach Wonders If Turki Alalshikh Saw Golden Boy Lawsuit Coming

If there is one clear winner of the Vergil Ortiz Jr.-Golden Boy Promotions saga, Robert Garcia believes it is Turki Alalshikh.

As Ortiz's trainer, Garcia revealed that Alalshikh has been uncharacteristically quiet in his fighter's ongoing negotiations with Jaron Ennis. He admitted he did not understand why until now, believing that the Saudi chairman had been waiting for Ortiz to separate himself from Oscar De La Hoya.

"Right now, there's only DAZN, and Turki owns part of DAZN, if I'm not mistaken," Garcia said to Boxing Scene. "Turki hasn't made an offer since the first offer he made a year ago... So Turki [is thinking], 'I'm not gonna make an offer until things go ugly, and then I can make the fight once maybe Vergil's free.' It's a sport where promoters could team up and screw one [another]. Maybe this is for saying what he says on his Thursday videos he does, or stuff he's been complaining about."

𝗜𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗶 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿?👀

Vergil Ortiz's coach Robert Garcia questions whether Turki Alalshikh had a say in the Ortiz-Boots breakdown.

What do you think? pic.twitter.com/61JmVvTQKw
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) January 16, 2026

Ortiz is suing Golden Boy Promotions with the intent of breaking free from his current contract. De La Hoya has already stated that he and his team will "aggressively defend" the lawsuit and accused Ortiz's manager, Rick Mirigian, of breaching the contract.

Garcia pointed out that as the primary boxing streaming platform, DAZN plays a significant role in most fight negotiations. That severely impacted Ortiz and Ennis, with Golden Boy Promotions' exclusive streaming deal with DAZN recently coming to an end.

MORE: Oscar De La Hoya Responds To Vergil Ortiz Jr's Lawsuit

Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Jaron Ennis still in play despite lawsuit

There is no way to gauge how long the lawsuit will last. Still, Ortiz is working with the same lawyer who helped Canelo Alvarez out of a similar situation with Golden Boy Promotions, according to reporter Dan Rafael.

Should he break free from Golden Boy, Ortiz would have the freedom to work with Alalshikh, Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing or whoever he desires. Alalshikh has repeatedly proven he has the resources to convince any two fighters he wants to sign on the dotted line.

In that case, the Ennis fight would be even more plausible without De La Hoya in the picture. Ortiz's lawsuit claims that his promoter's inability to work with Alalshikh and Hearn has prevented him from securing the biggest fight of his career.

However, not every fighter who has sued Golden Boy has gotten their intended outcome. Ryan Garcia notably sued De La Hoya in 2023 but ended up dismissing the case and remains on the roster entering 2026.

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