The fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron “Boots” Ennis has hit a major snag. Yet Eddie Hearn, who promotes Boots, remains unperturbed. If Ortiz’s fight doesn’t happen, the Matchroom boss has a shortlist of replacements ready. Hearn has especially zeroed in on Matchroom’s top-ranked contender, Josh Kelly – WBO No. 1 and IBF No. 3 (first two vacant) – for a matchup against Boots Ennis.

The controversy surrounding the fight between Boots and Ortiz has sparked a scramble for a replacement. Fans and pundits want to see two of the best light middleweights face off, but ongoing back-and-forths over purse splits and now lawsuits have dimmed those hopes.

Eddie Hearn lines up a backup plan for Boots Ennis

During an interview, a reporter from iFL TV asked if Matchroom had plans to move away from the Ortiz-Boots matchup. Eddie Hearn didn’t dismiss the fight completely. However, Ortiz’s lawsuit against De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions has made him uneasy. “I don’t know how that’s playing out. We, of course, want to make the Boots fight,” Hearn remarked.

That said, Hearn mentioned that they were thinking about matching up Boots against Xander Zayas. The WBO light middleweight champion from Puerto Rico defends his title against Abass Baraou on January 31. However, it looks like Josh Kelly is the frontrunner.

According to Hearn, the English fighter from Sunderland is “pitched up at the roulette table—he’s got the dice, and he’s just gone voom.” Kelly faces IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev the same day Zayas takes on Baraou. It’s a tough fight against one of the division’s most feared names. Yet Hearn remains hopeful. He is intrigued by Kelly already being linked to a matchup with Boots Ennis. However, everything hinges on Saturday’s fight at Utilita Arena.

Thanks to a common Matchroom promotional tie-up, a fight between Boots and Kelly seems more likely than one with Zayas, who is promoted by Top Rank.

The twists and turns between Ortiz and De La Hoya put Hearn in a bind

Even with the challenges they’re facing, Hearn and his team are keeping their eyes on Ortiz vs. Boots. “What we want to give the fans is one of the best fights in American boxing with two guys in their absolute prime. That’s our job as a promotional company and platform in DAZN, to deliver that fight,” he stated.

Optimism grew after Hearn and Boots traveled to Texas for Ortiz’s interim title defense against former champion Erickson Lubin. Following his knockout win, Ortiz called out Boots, and the two faced off to the roar of the crowd.

Ever since the matchup appeared on the radar, things haven’t gone smoothly, with repeated obstacles in the way.

Hearn said talks have been going on for the past three months, with plenty of disagreements and back-and-forths. Things took a turn when tensions erupted within the Golden Boy camp. De La Hoya slammed Ortiz’s management team for interfering in negotiations, and then Ortiz filed a lawsuit to break from Golden Boy, citing breach of contract.

While De La Hoya and Ortiz work to sort out their differences, Hearn is focused on keeping his fighter active. The most realistic solution right now? A matchup for Boots, which appears to be Josh Kelly.