Ortiz vs. Ennis Sits in Purgatory While Division Moves On

The fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron Ennis was never going to be hard to explain. Two unbeaten welterweights moving up. Same promotional ecosystem, more or less. Competitive on paper and clean enough to sell without much effort. The kind of fight that gets made when everyone involved decides momentum matters more than waiting for perfect terms.

That has not happened. What started as routine back-and-forth has now stretched long enough that people have stopped checking for updates. Robert Garcia said what needed saying weeks ago, this should be done.

Oscar De La Hoya went public with a deadline that may or may not have been real, claiming Eddie Hearn never responded to a purse split proposal. Whether that was leverage or frustration does not matter much now. The effect is the same. What looked like a natural pairing has become a test of who blinks first, and neither side seems interested in moving.

Rick Mirigian, Ortiz’s manager, has said he still has authorization to negotiate directly. That is worth noting. It means the fight is not officially dead, just poorly structured. Too many voices, not enough clarity about who decides what. Ennis and Ortiz are not the issue. The machinery around them is.

What Happens When No One Agrees

Chris Algieri explained this as a standard ego standoff. Paulie Malignaggi was less generous, pointing out that Ortiz has already taken harder fights than most contenders his age, while Ennis is still figuring out what junior middleweight looks like for him. That contrast matters when you are trying to figure out who has more to lose by waiting.

The division itself offers no relief. Xander Zayas, Abass Baraou, and Bakhram Murtazaliev are all scheduled for January. Sebastian Fundora is lined up for Keith Thurman in the spring. Ortiz holds an interim belt that does not guarantee him anything. Ennis is new to 154 and does not have a clear next step unless someone forces one.

The Names That Keep Getting Mentioned

Errol Spence Jr. has been named as a possibility for Ennis, though it is unclear whether Spence is ready to return or what weight that fight would even take place at. Tim Tszyu is rebuilding after back-to-back losses. Jermell Charlo has not fought in over a year and may not be motivated to return without a massive payday. Garcia has questioned whether any of those options make sense right now, and he is probably right.

There has been quiet speculation about Saudi money stepping in to break the stalemate, with Turki Alalshikh mentioned as someone who could force the issue. Whether that is realistic given the strained relationships between some of the parties involved is unclear. It would not be the first time outside financing solved a problem boxing could not solve on its own, but it is not a plan anyone can rely on.

For now, Ortiz versus Ennis remains the fight that should have been made months ago and still is not close. Boxing has a long history of letting obvious matchups drift while everyone waits for better terms that never arrive. This one is starting to feel like it belongs on that list.