By: Sean Crose
And then – it happened. Vergil Ortiz had just made brutally quick work of Erickson Lubin. Exuding confidence in the post fight interview, the undefeated Ortiz called out fellow undefeated fighter Jaron “Boots” Ennis. And then Ennis joined Ortiz in the ring for some smack talk. It seemed like boxing’s next big fight was about to be made. Then the talk turned to negotiations and things took an all too predictable turn. Ortiz’ promoter Oscar De La Hoya started playing the A-side/B-side game right there in the ring. The conversation topic in the fight world suddenly went from WHEN Ortiz and Ennis would fight to IF the two men would fight, all in perhaps a matter of seconds.
The fact is that while Ortiz is promoted by De La Hoya, Ennis is promoted by Eddie Hearn. Even though Ortiz and Ennis fight on DAZN, each man is backed by a promoter who competes with the other. That makes things difficult – maddeningly so. Although each promoter is well within his right to negotiate in his fighter’s best interest there comes a point, one that is far too frequently reached, that the overall health of the sport is being neglected.
The truth is that this honestly is a must-see fight should it go down. As was proven this weekend, Ortiz can hit but he can also box. His win over Erickson Lubin this past weekend was not just an attack. Ortiz fought intelligently, working the body and not giving his man an inch. Of course, Ennis is no Lubin. Indeed, if anybody out there could beat Ortiz within the 154 weight realm, it would certainly be the fighter known as Boots. Indeed, it would be interesting to see who the odds would favor walking in. Each man is undefeated, explosive, and very entertaining to watch. There’s really no good reason why this fight can’t be made as soon as possible. There may be reasons but no good ones. The fans deserve this, as do the fighters.
In moments like this, it really is good for the fans to speak up. An uproar can go a long way. The truth is the powers that be in boxing have for too long gotten away with neglecting the fans. This is such common knowledge that it’s almost ridiculous to bring it up. It’s true though. There’s a reason UFC fans are generally so satisfied. It’s because they get what they want. With contemporary boxing, it’s more about what the wealthiest boxer wants. And although it’s the fighter’s sweat and blood that makes the event, it would be unfair and is unfair to exclude fans and their wants from the inner workings of the sport.
