LAS VEGAS – With a July 14 arbitration date looming for unbeaten WBC interim junior-middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya, an olive branch has been extended.

De La Hoya told reporters Friday that his team is in active conversations with Ortiz’s team to “patch things up” before the matter could ultimately be settled by a federal judge in Nevada.

Saying he’s compelled to “work things out,” and that “this has gone on long enough,” De La Hoya indicated he wants the opposing lawsuits between the sides to go away and work on getting Texas’ 28-year-old Ortiz, 24-0 (22 KOs), back in the ring.

A showdown versus the winner of the June 27 WBO/WBA title defense by Puerto Rico’s Xander Zayas and unbeaten former unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis would be ideal, De La Hoya said.

“If he wants to talk, I’d be happy to take the call or come sit with him,” Ortiz’s manager Rick Mirigian told BoxingScene Friday.
It was the talks over an Ortiz fight with Ennis following Ortiz’s second-round knockout of Erickson Lubin in November that sparked the divide, with the Ortiz camp complaining that Golden Boy only offered him $3 million for the bout and declined to offer other opportunities.

Golden Boy countered that Mirigian was improperly shopping Ortiz to other promoters by claiming incorrectly that the promoter’s streaming deal with DAZN had expired.

Lost in the feuding was the future of Ortiz, who has performed so strongly in defeating Lubin, former 154lbs champion Israil Madrimov and former WBC interim champion Serhii Bohachuk in succession.

Mirigian said he’s been in contact for the past three weeks with Golden Boy President Eric Gomez while making other fights – including the May 22 main event in San Jose, California, for Amari Jones – and the topic of Ortiz has been raised.

“Productive talks. Not a remedy, but there is now an open line of communication,” Mirigian said. “If we end up talking to Oscar, I would welcome that.”

If the three-day arbitration occurs, the expectation is that a ruling on the matter – freeing Ortiz from Golden Boy or keeping him in the stable – would come down by September.