Eddie Hearn Hopes Vergil Ortiz ‘Wants A Challenge’

Speaking to FightHub TV, Hearn urged that he wants to see the fight happen and is waiting for Golden Boy Promotions to make a deal. However, he was unsure about why the fight was taking so long to reach fruition.

“You know, we agreed a deal with Golden Boy and DAZN in a room. We’re speaking to Golden Boy. I believe Golden Boy and Oscar want that fight,” he said. “They want to make the best fights in boxing. It’s the best fight in boxing. You’ve got another fight, that’s just up there in Teofimo against Shakur. You’ve got, hopefully, Fury vs AJ. You got all these great fights happening. Boots’ signed for the fight, and Ortiz, I just can’t understand what’s happening.”

Hearn’s disappointment isn’t misplaced; even with a tentative agreement in place, nothing has been signed by both fighters’ teams. It can be alleged that the core issue is money and leverage. Both camps believe their fighter is the A-side, and when negotiations moved from a mere verbal agreement to signing contracts, that’s where things froze.

While both Hearn and Ennis have been persistently calling for the fight, ‘Boot’s will not be waiting around for Ortiz’s team to respond. Especially with him being scheduled to fight in March/April. Meanwhile, Hearn even believes that there is no better opponent for Ortiz.

“Who else is there for Ortiz to fight? Errol Spence ain’t gonna take the fight next, and Errol Spence ain’t boxed for two years. The best fight in boxing is Boots against Ortiz, so we hope that Vergil Ortiz is a man that wants a challenge to prove himself as the best in the world,” he said.

“Make Our Own Moves”

Hearn might want to see Ennis vs. Ortiz finally come to fruition, but that does not mean Hearn will hesitate to make moves to ensure that Ennis fights by April.

We will have to make a move soon. Boots is due to fight at the end of March. Could that go to April? Maybe. But we don’t want it to. We have to make our own moves. With all due respect to Vergil Ortiz, he doesn’t do anything other than people saying he might be the best 154-pounder in the world. And that’s the same for Jaron as well,” he said.