Trainer Robert Garcia is receiving criticism from fans today in the wake of his fighter Vergil Ortiz’s second-round TKO victory over Erickson Lubin last Saturday night, talking about wanting him to fight other fighters rather than Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Fans see fear
Garcia mentioned four options that Vergil Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) could face next, except for a match against Ennis. Fans read this as a sign that Robert does not want Vergil to be beaten like some of his other fighters.
Ortiz Jr., coming off a quick knockout loss to ‘Boots’ Ennis, like his recent opponents Uisma Lima and Eimantas Stanionis, would destroy Robert Garcia’s vision of him becoming the next Mexican PPV star. So, in that light, it’s understandable why Robert wouldn’t want Vergil Jr. Ennis does not face.
Ennis ends star dreams
“I think it’s the perfect moment for Vergil to become the pay-per-view star, the one that everyone wants to challenge because it’s the biggest fight for them,” trainer Robert Garcia said. Battle hype about his belief that Vergil Ortiz Jr. now on the cusp of stardom after his second round knockout victory over Erickson Lubin last Saturday night.
A quick KO loss to Ennis would be disastrous for Ortiz Jr. ‘s career. He looked very slow and blocky against Lubin last night, similar to ‘Boots’ Ennis’ previous two opponents, Lima and Stanionis. Those two are a bit faster than Ortiz Jr, but neither of them was even remotely competitive against ‘Boots’.
“We have options. If it’s ‘Boots’ it’s great because it’s a big fight. But so is Spence, so is Charlo, so is Fundora, and so is Xander Zayas. They’re all big fights. It makes the Mexican-American a superstar,” trainer Garcia said of who Ortiz Jr. can fight next.
Protect the Golden Ticket
Robert’s wish list for Vergil Jr – (excluding boots)
- Xander Zayas
- Jermell Charlo – inactive for 2 years
- Errol Spence Jr – ditto
- Sebastian Fundora
“It would hurt me to see Vergil knock him out. And I know Vergil is going to do his job,” Robert said of an Ortiz Jr. fight. and Errol Spence.
Like Vergil Jr. spoke glowingly last night about his interest in fighting Spence next, it’s possible he could be the guy promoter Oscar De la Hoya targets for his next fight. Oscar will of course make an effort to set up a fight between Vergil Jr. and Ennis.
With the way he talks about having the “upper hand” in the negotiations with ‘Boots’ and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, it may take a miracle for the fight to happen. There are too many high-paying options for Ortiz Jr that may be too tempting to pass up.
Last updated on 11/09/2025
