Vergil Ortiz Sr is fuming at boxing promoter Oscar de la Hoya for calling his son, Vergil Ortiz, “ungrateful.”
Through Golden Boy Promotions, de la Hoya has represented the 27-year-old super welterweight for the bulk of his career, and, after an extraordinary three-fight run of late, one that has seen Ortiz edge Serhii Bohachuk in a Fight of the Year contender, and breeze past Israil Madrimov by decision, before annihilating Erickson Lubin with a second-round finish, the stage now appears to be set for a mega-fight against Matchroom’s Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Ortiz, and his manager Rick Mirigian, appear adamant about wanting the ‘Boots’ fight. And Ennis himself entered the ring after Ortiz’s knockout of Lubin for a dramatic face-off that was one of the most cinematic things DAZN had filmed and aired as an upcoming spectacle for the American market.
But the bout is not yet booked — and it remains unclear if it will be next, or the latest casualty in the sport’s long list of fights that should have been made, but were kept apart through promotional rivalries, strained relationships, or, even, litigation.
Ortiz, you see, recently sued Golden Boy seeking to end his promotional contract, alleging breach of contract and interference with economic opportunities after Ennis negotiations seemingly stalled.
Golden Boy denies wrongdoing, insists Ortiz remains under contract, and obtained a temporary restraining order blocking him from signing elsewhere. The Ennis bout, for now, is unresolved.
For de la Hoya, “managers got in the way” to block the Ennis bout.
And, when speaking to reporters like Sean Zittel among others, he expressed sympathy for rival promoter Eddie Hearn after Matchroom lost Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing on an apparent one-fight deal worth an alleged eight figures, before advising the Brit to not “fall in love with fighters” because “they’ll break your heart.”
De la Hoya said he went through it with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. “Fighters come and go,” he said. “Us promoters stay.”
“When you’re a fighter, there’s something called loyalty and appreciation.” de la Hoya added. “It’s unfortunate some don’t have that, but you move on with your business.”
Comparing the Benn case to the one he’s possibly experiencing now with Ortiz, de la Hoya updated the legal situation thusly: “My lawyers made a strong case for ourselves and it’s up to the judge who will take a few more days to make her decision. And we’re hoping for the right decision for what we believe we have a contract.
“I never expected this from Vergil Ortiz in my wildest dreams, from signing him, and [Golden Boy President] Eric Gomez scouting him in the amateurs, when he told me, ‘Wow, this guy is going to be the best out there’. When we signed him, we were right.
“We took him along until the Lubin fight and everything was great. I was texting him through the holidays and now it’s out of the blue. When you’re ungrateful there’s nothing you can do. I’ve done my job as a promoter.
“It’s unfortunate there’s fighters like this who are ungrateful.”
It was not long before Vergil’s father, Vergil Ortiz Sr., heard the comments and issued a response on X.
“Imagine not showing up to your fighter’s big fights, and nowhere to be found when he’s sick, while your best fighter kills him self to make you look good,” Ortiz said, offering no other context. “To just be called ungrateful.
“Sounds he’s upset he got caught.”
The case continues.
