Oscar De La Hoya says Golden Boy Promotions is making progress toward resolving its contract dispute with Vergil Ortiz Jr. and expects the unbeaten junior middleweight contender to return to the ring before the end of the year.
Ortiz has been inactive since late 2025 after a disagreement with Golden Boy derailed plans for a fight against Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
“There’s nothing that makes me happier than to see fighters get in the ring and perform. Vergil Ortiz is one of the best fighters out there. I hate not seeing him fight,” De La Hoya said during Golden Boy’s DAZN broadcast on Saturday.
“Do I want to resolve this? Absolutely, a thousand percent. Did they make a mistake? Did we make a mistake? No. There was a misunderstanding, everything is great. Eric Gomez is talking to Rick Mirigian and we’re making this happen.”
De La Hoya said Golden Boy expects the situation to be resolved under the terms of Ortiz’s existing agreement with the company.
“We have the original deal that was in place. Outside people try to ruffle things up, let’s say, but we have the contracts, we have the relationships, we have Vergil Ortiz,” De La Hoya said.
“We’ve had him since he was a baby, since he started boxing professionally. We feel that we’re very close and Vergil Ortiz will fight this year.”
Ortiz last fought in November 2025, stopping Erickson Lubin in two rounds. After the fight, Ortiz and Ennis met face-to-face in the ring, with plans for a high-profile matchup gaining momentum before the contract dispute halted negotiations.
Ortiz is 24-0 with 22 knockouts and remains one of the leading contenders in the junior middleweight division. De La Hoya’s comments indicate that discussions between Golden Boy president Eric Gomez and Ortiz adviser Rick Mirigian are continuing as both sides work toward an agreement.
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Last Updated on 2026/06/21 at 2:25 AM
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