Coach Bernie Davis says he believes Vergil Ortiz Jr’s team is pricing him out for a fight against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis by asking for $10 million for that to happen. Davis points out that this is a “championship-level” fight between them, as neither of them hold world titles at 154.
Ortiz Jr. ‘s going away price tag
As Bernie mentions, the $10 million that Team Vergil Jr. for the Ennis fight, be a sign that they are not interested in that fight. Ortiz Jr’s mention of Jermell Charlo and Errol Spence as two fighters he would like to face is a strong sign of the direction he is headed.
Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) is the WBC interim junior middleweight champion, but it’s not the real thing. Sebastian Fundora holds the WBC full title. Vergil Jr. only has the interim belt which he won by a controversial 12-round majority decision against Serhii Bohachuk on August 10, 2024.
Oscar’s silent promotion problem
Bernie says Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) currently has more “buzz” (popularity) around him than Vergil Jr., which is partly to do with a combination of his promoter, Eddie Hearn, talking him up in interviews. Plus, ‘Boots’ looked so impressive with the way he was winning, showing boxing skills that even put Terence Crawford to shame.
In contrast, there isn’t as much about Golden Boy-promoted Ortiz Jr. talked about in interviews by his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. Vergil Jr looks more like a simple blue collar type fighter who walks you down and outwits his opponents. He has very little hand speed, moves slowly, and seems to compensate with his size.
Why $10 million makes no business sense
“It’s too much,” coach Bernie Davis said MillCity Boxingreacts to the fact that Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s manager Rick Mirigian wants $10 million for Ortiz Jr. to fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. “It’s not even a championship fight. It’s a championship-caliber fight, and Vergil Ortiz hasn’t proven himself to be a $10 million fighter.
Without Turki Alalshikh getting involved, the $10 million would seem way too high for a fight against Ennis. Vergil Jr. is not a PPV fighter, and neither is ‘Boots’. Even if they posted the fight on DAZN PPV, it is unlikely to bring in enough PPV buys to cover the cost of the purses.
“Now, if the shiekh (Turki Alalshikh) wants to get involved because there is a buzz around that fight,” Davis said. “I really think the more buzz is around ‘Boots.’ I think Vergil has a steady following, but the buzz is around ‘Boots.’
Is Team Ortiz Protecting the Zero?
“I think the guys (Team Ortiz Jr.) think that since they can lose and it will set them back, ‘We want the most money we can get out of the situation.’ I’m not knocking them for trying, but I think they’re trying to overprice themselves,” Diaz said.
It’s hard to predict if Turki will find himself in an Ortiz Jr. vs. Ortiz Jr. would want to engage in battle. In terms of entertainment, he should want to because it’s a better fight on paper than the ones he’s put on, which involve pure boxers like Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. Those guys’ recent fights have been painfully boring on Turki’s cards. At least with Ennis vs. Ortiz Jr., this is a match that is guaranteed to entertain.
Last updated on 13/11/2025
