Hearn, Ennis Head To Texas To Pressure Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Eddie Hearn says that he and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will be traveling to Texas to be ringside for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin fight on November 8 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ringside Pressure Tactics in Fort Worth

The Matchroom promoter Hearn is hoping to apply pressure on Vergil Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) and his promoters at Golden Boy to make the fight with Ennis next. Hearn states that they’ve stopped talking. So, he wants to be ringside to press for the fight.

“March,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Carlos Linares about when Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is expected to fight next. “Myself and Ennis will be flying to Dallas to watch Vergil Ortiz because we want the fight,” said Hearn about he and Ennis being ringside for Vergil’s fight against Erickson Lubin on November 8th in Fort Worth, Texas.

Even if this pressure tactic by Hearn and Ennis doesn’t pan out, it’ll at least give ‘Boots’ a chance to be seen by fans nationwide on DAZN. The cameramen will pan toward him during the event at some point, and he’ll likely be interviewed. That’s worth something.

“We were told to make that fight by DAZN. We all met with Golden Boy. We agreed to do the fight. We haven’t heard anything. So, we will be there ringside to say, ‘Let’s make the fight.’” said Hearn about his plans for him and Ennis to be ringside for the Ortiz Jr. vs. Lubin fight on November 8th.

Golden Boy’s Silence Raises Questions

It’s worth a try for Hearn and ‘Boots’ to be present for the Ortiz Jr.-Erickson contest, but it doesn’t guarantee that the fight will happen. It’s telling that Golden Boy Promotions has gone quiet about making the fight between Vergil Jr. and Ennis. That’s a big hint that they’ve changed their mind about wanting to make that fight. Usually, when promoter Oscar De La Hoya is eager to make a fight for Vergil Jr. against someone, he talks up a storm. In this case, he’s not been talking about the fight.

Plan B: Ennis vs. Abass Baraou at 154

It might be better for Hearn to start thinking about a plan B option for Ennis to take if Vergil Jr. and Golden Boy choose not to make the fight. The logical choice would be for Ennis to use his WBA interim 154-lb title to challenge WBA champion Abass Baraou for his belt. That’s a fight that can easily be made, and it would be winnable for ‘Boots.’ It won’t be easy, as Baraou is tough, and he’s going to dish out some punishment on Ennis.

Top Rank Option: Xander Zayas in the Mix

“We spoke with Top Rank. We said, ‘Listen, maybe you do a fight in Puerto Rico, and then we fight on Puerto Rican Day at Madison Square Garden.’ That would be massive. So, we’ll see. We want all the big fights. Jaron Ennis will fight anybody at 154. We’re talking [with Top Rank],” said Hearn about a fight between ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBO junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas.

The odds of Top Rank allowing the 23-year-old Zayas to defend his WBO title against Ennis are slim. That would be an ultra-risky fight for Xander to take in his first defense of his 154-lb title. He doesn’t have the experience yet to face a fighter of ‘Boots’ Ennis’ level. It’s surprising that Hearn would entertain the idea.

Zayas captured the vacant WBO title last summer, defeating Jorge Garcia Perez by a 12-round unanimous decision on July 26, 2025. It was the perfect situation for Zayas to win a belt. If that had been Ennis or Vergil Ortiz Jr. that Zayas had fought for the vacant WBO title, you can imagine what the outcome would have been for the youngster.