BANGKOK, Thailand – Unbeaten interim WBC 154lbs champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr and recently unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis are in negotiations for an elite fight, and promoter Eric Gomez told the WBC Wednesday that a deal could be finalized by next week. The mouth-watering showdown is being lined up for the first quarter of 2026.
The revelation was stunning, coming hours after Texas’ Ortiz, 24-0 (22 KOs), and Ennis, 35-0 (31 KOs), exchanged social-media posts indicating that talks were quiet, with Ortiz later telling BoxingScene he was not surprised because he expects Ennis to dodge him.
Yet, Golden Boy Promotions President Gomez, appearing before the WBC board at its Wednesday mandatories meeting informed that he’s in active talks with Ennis’ team, headed by Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, and that he believes a deal could be struck by next week.
"We’re in talks with Matchroom, we’re in talks with DAZN and we’re looking to sit down with Vergil and his team next week and present him with what the deal is," Gomez told BoxingScene. "It’s the fight he wants, he wants a big fight and he’s ready for a big fight. We’ll see if we can get a deal done."
When asked whether that deal would be weighted in Ortiz's favor, Gomez said: "The most important thing is that the fighters want to fight each other. Those details will be worked out with Matchroom but, as of right now, we’re going through the finer details and tying up some loose ends with DAZN. If everything is in order, we’re going to present everything to Vergil and he’ll make the decisions.
"He wants it. And when both fighters want it, it usually gets done."
With the WBC’s full 154lbs champion Sebastian Fundora believed to be headed to a title defense in February versus former welterweight champion Keith Thurman, Gomez said Ortiz intends to fight the Fundora-Thurman winner after dealing with Philadelphia’s Ennis.
