Vergil Ortiz Jr. blames rival for stopping all-American super fight from taking place

Vergil Ortiz Jr. believes it is Jaron 'Boots' Ennis and his team who are stopping this huge American super fight from taking place. 

Ortiz Jr. returns to action on Saturday night, live on DAZN, when he takes on Erickson Lubin where a win would surely set up a meeting with the former unified welterweight champion in 2026. 

Ennis and his promoter Eddie Hearn are set to be ringside at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas as they look to secure a deal to face Ortiz if he does beat Lubin. 

However, making a major fight in boxing is rarely a smooth process and with Ortiz-Ennis being a high profile fight, there are likely to be stumbling blocks. 

'I've already said yes' - Ortiz Jr. claims to have already signed a deal to fight 'Boots' Ennis

Despite not having stepped in the ring with Lubin, Ortiz Jr. has revealed that he has already said 'yes' to a deal to face Ennis. 

Appearing on Inside The Ring, Ortiz confirmed his stance and was quick to blame the Philadelphia man and his team. 

"We’ll see, I’ve already said yes, that’s all I can do. So we’ll see, it’s not really up to me, I guess," Ortiz said.

"The barrier is somewhere on their side, whether it’s someone or something, or some amount of money, I don’t know.

"That’s completely on them."

Ortiz Jr.'s criticism of Ennis did not stop there. 

With Ennis set to move up to super welterweight after unifying the IBF and WBA welterweight belts against Eimantas Stanionis, it was expected he would face Ortiz after the Texan registered his biggest win to date in February against former 154lb world champion Israil Madrimov. 

Instead, Ennis faced Uisma Lima who he knocked out in the first round of their contest last month. 

This performance reignited the feud between Ortiz and Ennis with the former hit with 'ducking' claims who tried to dispel the criticisms being sent his way. 

"Jaron Ennis got a world title at 147, a couple of them I think, good for him. He has a lot of momentum going his way, if I had that much momentum I would have gone straight to the big fight at 154.

"When it was time to say ‘yes’ to fight, I was the only who said ‘yes’. A lot of people who were saying I was ducking at 147  when there was no fight being offered.

"The only times that the fight has ever been offered to either of us, I’ve said ‘yes’."

Watch Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin live on DAZN

Ortiz Jr. and Lubin clash in Texas this Saturday, November 8, watch it live with a DAZN subscription. Monthly and annual options available.

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