With DAZN joining fans in pushing for a Jaron “Boots” Ennis-Vergil Ortiz Jr. showdown that has dominated headlines, the pressure appears to have rubbed De La Hoya the wrong way. While he maintains Ortiz has multiple options beyond Ennis, De La Hoya blasted Eddie Hearn, saying legal action may be needed to rein in Ennis’ management.

Oscar De la Hoya claims Ennis’ manager joined Hearn in chasing the fight. The situation raises concerns under the Muhammad Ali Act, which bars managers from acting as promoters. After both fighters scored knockout wins in the second half of 2025, Ennis and Ortiz have been linked to a potential clash this year. But negotiations haven’t produced any results. With talks going nowhere, reports say DAZN, which works with both Golden Boy and Matchroom, stepped in to push the fight forward.

Oscar De La Hoya comes after Eddie Hearn and Ennis’ camp

In an Instagram post, De La Hoya spoke about finalizing the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios fight and working with PBC’s Al Haymon. He struck an upbeat tone about keeping major bouts in the United States while working with top promoters. Eddie Hearn‘s tactics, however, remained a sore point.

“Eddie Hearn is begging the media for this Boots and Vergil Ortiz fight,” De La Hoya said. He called it a bad negotiating strategy. “It’s so stupid as a promoter to pigeonhole your fighter into one opponent.” What bothers him most is the idea that Ennis’ management may be bypassing Hearn.

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De La Hoya alleged that Ennis’ manager has been contacting Golden Boy directly instead of going through Ennis’ promoter. To him, that creates serious problems. “Every time a manager tries to be a hero and negotiate behind the promoter’s back, they lose money for the fighter and at the same time violate the Muhammad Ali Act,” he said, explaining why he is considering legal action.

“Some managers are just full of s–t, and I will be exposing them,” De La Hoya added, before noting that Ortiz has plenty of options and that Ennis is just one of them.

Why De La Hoya is playing the legal card

In simple terms, what De La Hoya is saying is that Team Boots needs to stop publicly pushing for the fight and stop going around the promoter. If it continues, he will claim it violates federal boxing law. Under the Ali Act, the roles of manager and promoter must remain separate. Managers cannot negotiate fights in place of the promoter. Also, fighters must clearly know who represents them and who gets paid.

If a fighter is under a promotional contract, the promoter handles negotiations, while the manager advises the fighter. If Ennis’ management is indeed dealing directly with Golden Boy, as De La Hoya claims, it could violate the Ali Act by blurring that line and weakening the fighter’s legal protections.

Calling Hearn “desperate” to make the fight, De La Hoya laid out his terms: “60-40 for Virgil and 5% to the winner.” Whether Hearn and Ennis’ team accepts those numbers, fans will have to wait and see. Eddie Hearn has also weighed in, saying his team is still waiting for a response but that their patience is running thin.

“We are kind of waiting in hope. We keep being told that things are progressing, but then we don’t really get anywhere. We will have to make a move soon,” he told the media sometime ago. With Ortiz reportedly expecting the fight with Ennis to become a reality soon, the suspense continues.