In particular, the promoter was critical of Ortiz’s manager, Rick Mirigian, and the attorney who filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Nevada, Gregory Smith, accusing them of derailing negotiations already underway for a high-profile fight with Jaron Ennis.
At the center of the dispute is Ortiz’s promotional and broadcast status. Smith’s lawsuit contends that Golden Boy’s relationship with DAZN expired at the end of 2025, freeing Ortiz to leave the company. Golden Boy maintains that talks have continued to extend that deal and that Ortiz remains under contract.
De La Hoya said Golden Boy sent a formal letter to Mirigian the day before the lawsuit was filed, demanding that he stop interfering with negotiations involving Ennis. Hours later, the lawsuit arrived. De La Hoya contrasted that move with Ortiz’s public comments late last year, when the fighter expressed his satisfaction with Golden Boy after his knockout of Erickson Lubin and indicated support for moving forward with Ennis talks.
That match, which was streamed on DAZN, was attended by Ennis and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, and ended with a brief in-ring exchange that appeared to indicate momentum toward a deal.
De La Hoya also took aim at the choice of legal representation, noting that Smith is the same lawyer who previously represented Canelo Alvarez in his successful bid to leave Golden Boy in 2020. However, Smith has worked with Ortiz since 2024 and was involved in drafting the current deal, including provisions that limit public statements that could damage Ortiz’s earning potential.
The promoter dismissed the suggestion that Saudi funding or outside business limited the benefits of an Ortiz-Ennis fight, arguing that major financiers would support the real deal regardless of promoter alignment. He said Golden Boy is pursuing a favorable split for Ortiz and that the lawsuit reflects a management agenda rather than the fighter’s wishes.
De La Hoya closed by calling the filing an optics-driven move, insisting that Ortiz wants to fight and that the legal action lacks substance. Whether this claim holds up will now be decided in court, not on social media.
