Bozy Ennis says Vergil Ortiz Jr. is no longer a priority for unified junior middleweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, revealing that the unbeaten contender has slipped down Team Ennis’ list of potential opponents after months of inactivity surrounding the proposed matchup.
Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) had been linked to a fight with Ennis before the Philadelphia star captured the WBA and WBO 154-pound titles with his seventh-round stoppage of Xander Zayas on June 27. However, Bozy believes delays involving Ortiz Jr. and Golden Boy Promotions cost him his place in line. Instead, he says Boots is now focused on Sebastian Fundora or Josh Kelly as he pursues the remaining belts in the division.
“We not even think about him now,” Bozy Ennis told Fight Hub TV when asked about Vergil Ortiz Jr. “He made us wait. When Boots got in the ring, we said we going to fight, sign the contract, and then all of a sudden him and De La Hoya fell out, and now they all back together again. At that time they must didn’t want to fight him, but you going to come in the ring and all that stuff. I ain’t talking nothing bad about him, but that’s the way it seemed to everybody. He’s on the back burner.”
The comments echo those made by promoter Eddie Hearn this week. Hearn said the financial terms previously discussed for an Ennis-Ortiz fight no longer apply now that Boots is a unified champion, adding that his value has increased significantly since the original negotiations.
Bozy made it clear that Team Ennis’ goal is still to become the undisputed champion at 154 pounds. He expects Fundora to first satisfy his mandatory obligation before pursuing a showdown with Boots later this year, while Josh Kelly remains another realistic option.
“You heard what Boots said. Boots wants Fundora,” Bozy said. “If not him, Josh Kelly. Boots wanted to unify the titles. I mean be undisputed. Either one of them. Whoever volunteers first.”
If Bozy’s comments reflect Team Ennis’ current thinking, Ortiz may have to wait longer than expected for a shot at one of boxing’s biggest fights, while Fundora and Kelly have moved to the front of the queue.
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Last Updated on 2026/07/16 at 9:19 PM
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