Jaron Ennis is seeking pound-for-pound recognition during 2026, as he attempts to become the standout fighter in a talent-littered super-welterweight division. However, ‘Boots’ could be set to miss out on a monumental clash with a fellow 154lb rival after negotiations appear to have taken a turn for the worse.
The Philadelphian debuted at super-welterweight back in October, where he made easy work of Uisma Lima and registered an impressive first-round stoppage.
Ever since, he has once again been linked to a scrap with former 147lbs rival Vergil Ortiz Jr., who is also in hot pursuit of a world title in the division.
Ortiz dismissed of Erickson Lubin in eye-catching fashion last month, with a win that many assumed would tee up the long-awaited meeting between he and Ennis, but talks are taking longer than most expected.
Ortiz’s team have also mentioned Errol Spence Jr as a target, but boxing journalist Dan Rafael dismissed those rumours on X last month, stating that DAZN ‘will not allow that fight to happen’ as they prefer the Ennis-Ortiz fight, according to his source.
“[Ortiz-Spence is] not going to happen. Per source, DAZN, which has dibs on Ortiz fights, will not allow that fight to happen. DAZN Is exerting intense pressure on Golden Boy to get the Ennis fight done.”
That post has prompted an open letter response from Ortiz’s manager, Rick Mirigian, who took to Instagram to inform DAZN that they ‘cannot force his fighter to face anybody’.
“Dear DAZN Boxing executive, on what planet did you think saying these kinds of things about my fighter were OK and doing it in public to a very credible reporter. Aside from this being maybe the most ignorant thing to do while negotiating the biggest fight in the sport, it’s also meritless, false and you don’t OWN my fighter.
“I assure that you WON’T block us from fighting, you WON’T force us to fight anyone, and you WON’T tell us where and what platform we can fight on.”
Consequently, it looks as though a feud between DAZN and Ortiz’s team is set to catch fire, with Ennis-Ortiz seeming further away than ever as a result — though fans will hope not.
