Oscar De La Hoya says Golden Boy Promotions is making progress in resolving his contract dispute with Vergil Ortiz Jr. and expect the undefeated 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 seeing 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 Saturday during Golden Boy’s DAZN broadcast.
“Do I want to solve it? 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 it 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 agreement that was in place. People from the outside are trying to shake 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 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 came face-to-face in the ring, with plans for a high-profile bout gaining momentum before the contract dispute stalled negotiations.
Ortiz is 24-0 with 22 knockouts and remains one of the top contenders in the junior middleweight division. De La Hoya’s comments indicate that talks 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 06/21/2026 at 02:25
