“Eddie didn’t call me, so I’m moving on,” De La Hoya said Boxing scene.
In a separate video posted later in the day, De La Hoya cleared up any remaining ambiguity. He said if Eddie Hearn doesn’t call to accept the offer by the end of Monday, negotiations are done. The terms, he said, will not be reviewed, and there will be no back-and-forth extensions.
The proposal would have given Ortiz the larger share as interim WBC junior middleweight titleholder, with five percent reserved for the winner. Jaron Ennis would have entered the fight as an undefeated former unified welterweight champion making his full transition to the 154 pound division.
From Golden Boy’s position, the delay itself became the answer. Ortiz is active, holds a recognized belt and has already taken demanding fights since moving up in weight. De La Hoya has shown little interest in letting his fighter sit while he waits for a response that may never come.
The attention is now shifting elsewhere. De La Hoya said he expects to open talks with representatives for Sebastian Fundora, and he also has Errol Spence Jr. mentioned as a possible future opponent. Both names represent established paths rather than prolonged negotiation.
For Ennis, the situation leaves a narrower lane. He made his junior middleweight debut earlier this year with a quick stoppage of Uisma Lima, a fight that served as an introduction to the weight rather than a test at the top of the division. While options remain, the Ortiz fight was the one that would have immediately settled questions about his spot at 154.
Elsewhere, the division is still taking shape. Xander Zayas will face Abass Baraou, while IBF titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev will defend against Josh Kelly.
If the call was going to come, it had to come now. It didn’t. De La Hoya says that ends it, and he’s already acting like it has.
