Vergil Ortiz Jr's Manager Says One Final Hurdle Remains for Jaron Ennis Fight

The boxing calendar is unlike any other sport. Dates and locations appear etched into sand, not in stone.

Contract stipulations and provisions can also complicate any potential matchup. From rehydration provisions to glove size, managers seek even the slightest advantage. As a result, many proposed fights never come to fruition.

Jaron Ennis (36-0-1, 32 KOs) knocked out Xander Zayas (24-1, 13 KOs) to win the WBA/WBO light middleweight titles on June 27, 2026. Now, Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs), the interim WBC super welterweight champion, has entered the conversation.

Ortiz watched the Ennis-Zayas fight and tweeted his commentary. Now, his manager, Rick Mirigian, has spoken to Boxing Scene about it.

Vergil Ortiz's manager says deal could be imminent

“We have a pathway and foundational structure now if ‘Boots’ wants to go first. We have a fair deal now laid out. Both sides made some concessions and talked through issues and [the] interpretation of things and took care of things that were not there prior."

With that says, it seems there is one final hurdle to closing the deal.

"Pending [DAZN] making some decisions, this could be done in 48 to 72 hours."
Rick Mirigian

While Ennis is contractually bound to Eddie Hearn, Ortiz's future remains cloudy. He is currently locked in a contentious arbitration with his promotional arm, Golden Boy Promotions. In January 2026, Ortiz sued Golden Boy to terminate his contract with them. Golden Boy and Ortiz's camps are now in arbitration to determine a path forward. In essence, the arbitration will hopefully force a quick resolution. Mirigan thinks an accelerated timeline is currently in play.

Jaron Ennis vs Xander Zayas | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

With Ennis' current momentum, he now possesses options. He doesn't necessarily need to make Ortiz his next fight. Unification bouts versus Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 15 KOs), who holds the WBC version of the light middleweight title, and Josh Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs), holder of the IBF's 154-pound crown, lurk as possibilities.

Ennis mentioned Fundora as the fight he wants next. Meanwhile, a fight against Kelly would be the easiest route. Both Kelly and Ennis are Matchroom fighters, under Hearn's direction.

Roy Jones Jr urges patience

International Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr believes that Ortiz should wait for the winner of the Errol Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) and Tim Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) fight. With a fight scheduled for July 25 from the Afterpay Arena in Sydney, Australia, the timeline works out.

Jones envisions a proposed Ortiz fight taking place at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The stadium would hold 80,000 fans. Ortiz grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas, which is a 14-minute drive from the Arlington stadium. Basically, it could serve as a homecoming for Ortiz.

“The biggest fight right now, for that division, is Errol Spence – if he beats Tszyu – vs Vergil Ortiz in Dallas [Texas]. They [would] sell out Dallas [AT&T] Stadium. You don’t throw that away [by] chasing Boots; you let Boots go and fight Fundora first – you wait and see what happens in the Errol Spence [vs Tszyu] fight, if you’re smart."

Ortiz and Ennis each have a different path to a big fight, whether against each other or another champion. The boxing calendar never stagnates.

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