By Elliot Raines: Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed last night that he and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will be in attendance for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight this Saturday. vs. Erickson Lubin fight on November 8 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lubin can change everything
Hearn says Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) wants to be there because he hopes to beat WBC interim junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) against.
It is unclear whether Vergil Jr. and his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions want to take on Ennis next in early 2026. By being in first place, ‘Boots’ and Hearn can use it as a way to create public pressure. Hearn mentioned last week that Golden Boy kept quiet about Vergil Jr. against Ennis. At this point, he’s unsure if they still want that fight.
If Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs) prevails on Saturday, it could make Hearn’s job easier as he is fearless and will likely take the fight to Ennis as long as it pays.
“We’ll be there next week. You have to ask them. “We want the fight,” Eddie Hearn said Carlos Linares last Saturday night, referring to his and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ plans to be the number one spot for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin fight this Saturday, November 8, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Golden Boy Silent on 2026 Talks
Hearn didn’t sound entirely confident that Vergil Jr. and Golden Boy would not make the fight. As Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya has spoken, it sounds to some that he is playing games and has no interest in having his golden goose, Vergil Jr., fight Ennis and watch him lose. He clearly saw what happened to Ennis’ last opponent, Uisma Lima, who was knocked out in the first round on October 11, 2025.
De La Hoya pushes back
“We all know Boots doesn’t want to fight Vergil,” De La Hoya told the mediamaking it seem to them that it is Ennis who does not want the fight rather than them.
“I’m not wasting my time going to Dallas on vacation. It’s not my show. I could do with a weekend off. But ‘Boots’ wants to go. He wants to show the world that we want the fight, and we want it now. Don’t duck, don’t run. But he (Vergil Ortiz Jr.) has to beat Lubin first. It will see a great fight.
Worryingly, Hearn was haunted by Golden Boy, and they stopped responding to him about the fight between Vergil Jr. and not Ennis. Being in first place for Ortiz Jr-Lubin on Saturday night might not change anything. If De La Hoya and Golden Boy don’t want that fight for their money fighter, Vergil Jr., it won’t matter if ‘Boots’ is there.
Plan B options on the table
“Murtazaliev, Fundora, Baraou, Zayas and Charlo. I don’t know, but it’s going to be a big fight,” Hearn said when asked if he had a ‘Plan B’ option if he didn’t do the Ennis vs. Vergil Jr. competition cannot deliver.
It would be smart for Hearn to start planning a fight for Ennis against one of those fighters. That should have already been their first priority when Golden Boy stopped talking to them about the battle between Vergil Jr. and Ennis.
Elliot Raines has been covering British and European boxing since 2010. Known for his sharp pen and low tolerance for hype, Raines analyzes the sport’s politics, promoters and paper champions with dry precision.
Last updated on 11/02/2025
