“This week, or the next few days, is the last opportunity to make the Vergil Ortiz fight.” Eddie Hearn told reporters at the post-fight presser of the Matchroom-DAZN card headlined by the Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo Nunez title unification this past weekend. Held hostage by the weeks‑long courtroom drama that saw Ortiz and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, file lawsuits against each other, the fate of the much‑desired matchup between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Ortiz Jr. now hangs by a thread. The latest development, an emergency motion filed by Ortiz, has brought the courtroom drama to a head, with a judge’s decision now poised to seal the fate of the blockbuster matchup.

“Even so, this argument has been raised and rejected in other courts… thus, I also grant Golden Boy’s request for interim injunctive relief to allow for meaningful arbitration,” read the Nevada Court’s decision obtained by BoxingScene. “So I hereby order that Ortiz may not negotiate or contract with third parties for future fights before the arbitrator addresses the parties’ dispute set forth in this action.”

With the order against Ortiz’s emergency motion, the court has effectively ruled in Oscar De La Hoya‘s favor. Ortiz Jr.’s team, in their lawsuit against De La Hoya, had claimed breach of contract and interference with his economic advantage. They argued the promotional deal with Golden Boy should end because the company’s DAZN distribution deal expired Dec. 31, 2025. Under the contract, Ortiz can walk away if the promoter’s broadcast relationship stops.

Golden Boy responded by filing its own legal motion and obtained a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). It stopped Ortiz and his manager, Rick Mirigian, from negotiating with third parties, including other promoters. The order also kept the Ennis fight on hold until the dispute between the two parties was cleared. Later, reports indicated Vergil Ortiz had filed an emergency motion to dismiss the TRO. He argued Golden Boy had no right to block his free negotiation.

Siding with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, the judge explicitly said Ortiz failed to show they effectively waived arbitration rights. The contract language makes arbitration appropriate.

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Oscar De La Hoya wins the round – Ortiz-Ennis showdown now on hold

With the DAZN representative’s recent comments, which broke his arguments about termination, the situation appears bleak for Ortiz. In an effort to support Ortiz, its COO said DAZN was still open to a broadcaster relationship with Golden Boy. He added that this remained true even without Ortiz under contract.

However, this actually strengthened Golden Boy’s case that their “distribution relationship” with DAZN hadn’t truly ended.

The judge’s order sends the case to arbitration. The parties must update the court on their status by September 2, 2026, or within five days of the arbitrator’s decision, whichever comes first.

“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Golden Boy’s motion to compel arbitration and for interim injunctive relief is GRANTED,” the judgment as shared by BoxingScene read. “This action is STAYED pending arbitration. Because I am granting the interim injunctive relief, the parties are required to file a joint notice with the court, on September 2, 2026, advising of the status of the arbitration proceedings, or within five days of the arbitrator’s decision, whichever is first.”

“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Golden Boy’s motion to dismiss is DENIED. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Ortiz’s emergency motion is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as set forth in this order.”

The verdict effectively stalls the Boots Ennis-Vergil Ortiz fight. Eddie Hearn’s comments at the post-fight conference already signaled a shift.

“If we can’t get Vergil Ortiz, then the target we want is Xander Zayas,” the Matchroom boss had said. “And if we can’t get him, we have another Matchroom fighter—Josh Kelly, who just won the IBF title. That’s another opportunity as well. I’d like to do Boots versus Vergil Ortiz and Xander versus Josh Kelly. Then the winners fight each other.”