Eddie Hearn says Team Vergil Ortiz Jr. insisted on controlling every major point in negotiations before agreeing to fight Jaron “Boots” Ennis. He said Ennis accepted less money, agreed to be the B-side, accepted second billing, and even agreed to cut his beard and stop wearing colorful gloves in an effort to secure the fight. Hearn says those concessions show Matchroom was fully committed to making the matchup.
With Ennis now a unified light middleweight champion, Hearn argues those earlier negotiations no longer apply. He rejects claims that Matchroom avoided Ortiz, saying the circumstances have changed now that Boots holds multiple world titles.
“Don’t forget, we accepted that fight and signed for that fight,” Hearn told Fighthype. “Boots had to take less money than Vergil Ortiz because they wouldn’t take it unless he did. Boots had to be the B-side. They said it has to be Ortiz against Boots. I said, ‘Why? No one’s got a world championship.’ ‘No, we’re not taking the fight unless it is.’”
Hearn said the concessions extended well beyond financial terms.
“They even asked him to cut his beard and not wear colorful gloves. All of the things that he agreed to do to have the opportunity to prove he was the best,” Hearn said.
Hearn said those earlier concessions no longer apply now that Ennis is a unified champion. Rather than refusing to fight Vergil Jr., he said Matchroom believes the circumstances are different now.
“We will fight you,” Hearn said. “But as I said yesterday, today’s price is not yesterday’s price.”
The comments come as ‘Boots’ decides his next move following his victory over Xander Zayas. Hearn said Sebastian Fundora remains Boots’ preferred opponent because it offers the opportunity to collect an additional world title. He described Ortiz as a major fight that no longer carries the same value it did before Ennis became one of the division’s leading champions.
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Last Updated on 2026/07/19 at 11:05 AM
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