Vergil Ortiz Jr was linked with both Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Xander Zayas before announcing his showdown against former world champion Israil Madrimov.
The pair will collide for the WBC interim super welterweight title on February 22, featuring on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s eagerly awaited rematch.
Ortiz claimed his trinket with a highly contentious majority decision victory over Serhii Bohachuk, who Madrimov is set to face on December 21.
And so, if the Uzbek emerges from his test on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury unscathed, he should then appear on the stacked Riyadh Season card next year.
- Read More [‘Standard Don King card’… Fans spark heated debate over Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 announcement]
Vergil Ortiz Jr was in talks to face Jaron Ennis or Xander Zayas
Initially, it seemed as though Ortiz’s next assignment would be against Ennis, a fellow unbeaten American who has been tipped for super stardom.
But then, ‘Boots’ ruled himself out of the contest after being forced to make a hasty decision on the future of his promising career.
Instead of facing Ortiz, it appears that the IBF world welterweight champion will pursue a less lucrative unification with one of the remaining titlists at 147 lbs.
And while Ennis has since been accused of ducking the 26-year-old, highly touted super welterweight prospect Xander Zayas was seemingly on course to take on the challenge.
The 22-year-old has undoubtedly passed the eye test in his 20 professional victories, but nonetheless lacks the experience needed to compete at the top level.
Yet still, Zayas claimed on social media that he had agreed to face Ortiz before the American’s clash with Madrimov was officially announced.
On X, he said: “I accepted the fight but never heard back. Did you just Bootsed me? We were all in.”
In response, Ortiz wrote: “Yeah I ‘ducked’ you to fight Madrimov lol. Your time will come don’t you worry. We got bigger fish to fry over here.”
- Read More [Boxing’s top 10 rising stars includes Jaron Ennis, Jesse Rodriguez and middleweight knockout artist]
Is Israil Madrimov a tougher test for Vergil Ortiz Jr than Xander Zayas
While Zayas showed a level of maturity in his performance against former world champion Patrick Teixeira, one would suspect that his education in the professional ranks is not over yet.
Madrimov, on the other hand, has proven his quality at the elite level, producing a comprehensive display before losing to four-division champion Terence Crawford in his last outing.
But still, a future clash between Ortiz and Zayas remains an intriguing prospect, with both fighters seemingly on an upwards trajectory towards pound-for-pound stardom.