In November, Vergil Ortiz Jr. called Jaron “Boots” Ennis into the ring after his second-round knockout of Erickson Lubin. Fight fans everywhere cheered and looked forward to the best fight in American boxing coming their way in 2026. Was it too good to be true?
Hold my beer, friends.
On Friday, the Ennis vs. Ortiz negotiations with more drama than any season of “Real Housewives” blew up. Attorney Gregory M. Smith filed a 32-page lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, Nevada, arguing that Ortiz Jr. has the right to end his contract with Golden Boy Promotions due to a breach in the contract agreement.
Allegations In Ortiz Jr. vs GB Lawsuit
The specific complaint is that Golden Boy’s exclusive distribution agreement with DAZN expired on December 31, 2025, without an alternative in place, and that Golden Boy can no longer guarantee a major broadcast platform for Ortiz. This is a condition specified in the Ortiz Jr contract.
The lawsuit alleges that Golden Boy failed to act in good faith to secure a high-profile fight against Ennis, and that Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya’s public feuds with other promoters have hindered Ortiz Jr.’s career and earning potential. While not named, this refers to Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi promoter Sela.
Orti Jr. seeks to be released from his contract and become a free agent, and also seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
So far, Golden Boy Promotions has publicly refuted the claims. Via his Instagram feed, De La Hoya stated, “Unfortunately, Vergil is getting bad advice from his lawyer and manager, who have repeatedly violated the contract. We will aggressively defend this lawsuit and enforce our rights. We are confident a judge will agree that our contract is valid and Vergil and his team are in breach.”
Golden Boy maintains that the contract is still valid because it is in active negotiations for a 2026–2027 renewal, rendering this argument moot. and that Ortiz Jr. and his team are in breach of their valid contract.
Canelo Lawsuit Provides Clues
The back story of the players involved is important to note here, particularly Ortiz Jr.’s attorney, who has been here before.
Smith is the same lawyer who successfully represented Canelo Álvarez in his dispute with De La Hoya’s company. Like with the Ortiz Jr. filing, Smith argued a breach of contract on behalf of Alvarez. His suit was successful, and Alvarez was freed from the contract in 2020.
Ortiz Jr.’s manager, Rick Mirigian, is also hip deep in this quagmire. Mirigian believes he has the legal authority to negotiate directly with other promoters, such as Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn, who represents Ennis. Mirigian claims that because Ortiz Jr. is effectively a promotional free agent following the expiration of Golden Boy’s DAZN deal, he no longer needs to involve De La Hoya.
Mirigian reportedly rejected a December 2025 fight offer, calling the financial terms “far below” the value of two elite, undefeated fighters. He maintains that he is fighting for Ortiz Jr. to receive maximum compensation.
Mirigian’s positioning supports the lawsuit’s accusation that De La Hoya has been a gatekeeper blocking Ortiz Jr.’s career progress, and that he torpedoed the Ennis fight because he would rather not work with Alalshiekh.
Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems
Bear in mind that Alalshiekh offered to stage Ennis vs Ortiz Jr. in Riyadh last December, with a reported guaranteed purse for both fighters of $6 million. Ennis demurred, saying he wanted at least one fight at super welterweight before taking on Ortiz Jr.
Ortiz Jr. would not make anything near that amount of money without the Saudis involved, although a purse of $3 million is still nothing to sneeze at. Reportedly, the money split between the fighters has also been a bone of contention.
But you don’t care about these details, do you? You’re ticked this big money squabble is blowing up a fight you wanted to see, that all of boxing wanted to see. We wonder why boxing can’t get out of its own way.
Suddenly, the Dana White model of keeping everything in house under one roof seems more appealing, doesn’t it?
Where will this go? Look to attorney Smith’s track record. History tells us he has a successful blueprint from the Alvarez suit to work with.
Both the Álvarez (2020) and Ortiz Jr. (2026) lawsuits share a similar legal foundation. Both argue that Golden Boy breached its contracts by failing to provide the guaranteed, high-level distribution platform required by the agreements.
In Canelo’s case, he sued after his record-breaking $365 million deal with DAZN and Golden Boy was effectively stalled, claiming Golden Boy could not deliver the contracted number of fights or specific top-tier opponents.
Smith is using a nearly identical blueprint in Ortiz Jr.’s case, leveraging a “trigger clause” in his contract that activated when Golden Boy’s exclusive deal with DAZN officially expired on December 31, 2025.
Both fighters sought not only financial damages, but also the crucial legal declaration that they were free agents due to their promoter’s alleged inability to fulfill their core contractual obligations. This is the linchpin. It worked for Alvarez. The legal process may drag things out, but you would be smart to bet on the same outcome for Ortiz Jr.
The Legal Mess
Meanwhile, a fighter in his prime will be sitting on the sidelines. Contractual issues are a notorious thorn in the side of boxing. The players are often working at odds with each other and against a fighter’s individual career progression. Too often, talents like Ortiz Jr. lose crucial years of their physical prime (let’s call it ages 24 to 34) while mired in legal battles or simply being unable to secure desired fights with top opponents.
Ask Mikey Garcia. Ask Terence Crawford. Ask Gennadiy Golovkin. While all still had significant successes, and Golovkin is already entering the Boxing Hall of Fame, fans were denied some of the best fights that could have been made.
Maybe your best bet is to tune into the “Real Housewives” series of your choice to see combat unleashed.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.