Some things are never meant to be—the potential fight between interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. and IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis is one of them. Boxing Scene recently reported that both parties have reached a verbal agreement to compete for Ortiz’s interim title.

The report also claimed that the fight was pegged for what was turning out to be a bombastic night of boxing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 22nd next year. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh had especially taken interest in the bout, wanting to make the fight next, expressing the directive to the promoters involved.

While Ortiz Jr. has always maintained his stance of fighting anybody, Ennis’s corner had always looked a bit iffy about the situation. Erik Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions president, had told Fight Freaks Unite recently that the coming weeks will reveal whether the fight would actually happen. And it appears, the time has come. 

According to a new report from respected boxing journalist Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite, the potential fight between Ortiz Jr. and ‘Boots’ Ennis officially fell apart on Friday. This left the organizers of the event searching for a replacement for Ortiz Jr. Meanwhile, they also reported that the Saudis are now reaching out to another potential opponent.

Who is that? WBO and WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora. Apparently, the Saudis have reached out to his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, to get an idea of the level of interest they might have in a fight against Ortiz Jr. Meanwhile, Ortiz’s manager has opened up the floodgates, putting the blame squarely on Ennis. 

Rick Mirigian goes scorched earth on Jaron Ennis after the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight falls apart

Rick Mirigian, the manager of Vergil Ortiz Jr., didn’t hold back after the much-anticipated fight with Jaron Ennis collapsed. He promptly took to Instagram, blasting Ennis and his camp while accusing them of backtracking on their word. “@jaronennis, you said you wanted @vergilortiz at 154 about 22 times,” Mirigian wrote.

He even roped in Ennis’ father, Bozy Ennis, who boldly said in an interview that it was Ortiz’s team who rejected a fight offer. “Your father said you guys made us an offer and we rejected it on video 2 weeks ago, which as we all know is not true, and someone had to lie to him,” Mirigian continued. He alleged that Ennis was scared of Ortiz because of what the knockout artist could do.

“It’s ok if you changed your mind and realized that @vergilortiz is too strong, too fast, too big, and too skilled now,” he added. It’s worth noting that Ortiz Jr. is coming off a difficult win over Serhii Bohachuk, where he got dropped for the first time. Meanwhile, Ennis is coming off the flattest performance of his career against Karen Chukhadzhian.

That said, while Ortiz’s manager has put all the blame on Jaron Ennis, it’s unclear what exactly led to the failure of the promising bout. There hasn’t been an update on whether Sebastian Fundora has accepted the challenge, but the question is, why do you think the fight fell apart?