Vergil Ortiz Jr. Has Upper Hand On Jaron Ennis

By Elliot Raines: Promoter Oscar De La Hoya made it clear to the media that Vergil Ortiz Jr. has the “upper hand” in any negotiations with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for a fight following Vergil’s second-round knockout win over Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin (27-3, 19 KOs) on Saturday night at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Calling the Shots

Oscar says Vergil Jr. is the “better man” going into the negotiations with Ennis, and that means he can call the shots.

Golden Boy promoter De La Hoya repeatedly said after the fight that Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) will be calling the shots in the talks for a fight against Ennis. So, if there’s going to be a fight between them, it’ll be on Ortiz Jr’s terms. That could be a problem because Ennis is a star, and he’s accustomed to receiving favorable terms.

Fans Smell a Dodge

De La Hoya’s comment about Vergil Jr. having the “upper hand” in negotiations is already being seen by fans on social media as a strategy for Oscar to dodge the fight. Why would De La Hoya want his golden goose to be plucked clean by Jaron Ennis to ruin the money before it starts rolling in by the truckload?

Vergil Jr. did not look that good tonight against Erickson. He appeared slow, stiff, and plodding in his performance against Lubin. If Ortiz Jr. fought someone who could move, box, and punch hard like Ennis, it might have been a bad night at the office for him.

“Money won’t be an issue because there will be enough money in the pot. I’m going to sit down with Eddie Hearn, and we obviously have the upper hand because he’s [Vergil Ortiz] the better man, and see if we can come to terms. I’m sure we will,” said Oscar De La Hoya at the post-fight press conference, letting the media know that Ortiz Jr. will be the A-side in the negotiations with Jaron Ennis.

De La Hoya is being a promoter, looking to position Vergil Jr. in the best way possible in negotiations.  It sounds like transparent deflection from Oscar. Of course, if you’re sitting on a massive oil well that will bring in gazillions, you take the strategy of choking back by limiting production to get maximum recovery by bringing it in slowly.

“It was good. Lubin was sitting on the ropes like a sitting target,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV, reacting to Vergil Ortiz Jr’s destruction of Erickson Lubin tonight.

Elliot Raines has covered British and European boxing since 2010, dissecting the sport’s politics, promoters, and paper champions with dry precision and little patience for hype.