Minutes after he knocked out Erickson Lubin in a high-pitched thriller, Vergil Ortiz called out Jaron “Boots” Ennis, “Boots, come over here…. I think this is the fight that has to happen, man. I think this is it.” The crowd cheered. For a moment everyone felt one of the biggest fights of this generation is in the bag. However, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth, the developments thereafter reveal a gap separating dream from reality.

Reportedly the two sides agreed for a face-off in 2026. But silence seems to have replaced the hype. Seemingly, Vergil Ortiz and team mentioned names such as Errol Spence Jr. and a few others. A $10 million asking price for the Boots fight added further intrigue. As far as Eddie Hearn, who promoted Jaron Ennis, is concerned, the ball is in Ortiz Jr.’s court. Oscar De la Hoya and his team haven’t been so forthcoming, he feels.

Eddie Hearn: Jaron Ennis is waiting for you Vergil Ortiz!!

The Matchroom boss spilled the beans when Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix stated, “You mentioned Boots and Vergil. We’re all kind of still out here waiting and wondering how this is all going to play out.” And Eddie Hearn couldn’t have agreed more. “Same. Yeah, same. Nothing, nothing from our front,” he emphasized.

He claimed that Eric Gomez, Golden Boy’s president, had promised a move towards the Boots fight once they concluded the business with Lubin. However, “it’s been very quiet so far, but, you know, it has only been a week, so let’s see.” Hearn said. He hoped DAZN, the common broadcast platform for both Matchroom and Golden Boy, would step in and bring the two sides onboard.

“So hopefully we can get locked in with Golden Boy and have a positive conversation soon and try and make it happen,” Eddie Hearn stated. Given Golden Boy spoke about other options, Mannix probed if Hearn and the team were still confident about getting the fight. This time, however, Hearn’s optimism failed him. “When you know when you start coming out, we want 10 million. You know, we’re the A-side who it’s like it’s just, you know, it’s not the greatest say body language or rhetoric coming that way,” he stressed.

Satisfied with their efforts, Hearn felt perhaps their aggressive pursuit might have caused a pushback.

Team Ortiz doesn’t want to put all their eggs in one basket

Days ago, while speaking with ESPN, Eddie Hearn reportedly shared how the two sides came to an agreement for the fight. “We sat in a room—DAZN senior management, Oscar De La Hoya, and [Golden Boy president] Eric Gomez—and agreed on the terms for that fight… Boots signed for those terms, so if those terms have to change, we would discuss that. But they haven’t been that forthcoming. They did say that if they win on Saturday, which they did, they would try and get the fight made,” he told ESPN.

According to eminent boxing journalist Dan Rafael, Boots vs. Ortiz may have run into hurdles. As a result, the organizers appear to be checking for other options, such as WBC champion Sebastian Fundora. Ortiz Jr. holds WBC’s interim title, so a matchup appears plausible.

His trainer, Robert Garcia, hinted likewise. According to him, Vergil Ortiz is keen to get his first world title. “Vergil is definitely pushing and wants to be world champion. You know, it sucks to say it, but he’s the best 154-pounder, and he’s not a world champion, a full world champion yet. That would be the best if we were to get a world title opportunity like Fundora.”

So it’s up for grabs for now. Hopefully the fight gets made, and fans are able to see two of the best boxer-fighters in the world slug it out – while they are still in their prime.

What about you? Are you confident we’ll get to see Boots vs. Ortiz next year?