Vergil Ortiz Jr is set to secure a monumental showdown, featuring on a stacked Riyadh Season card that is being planned for February 22.
The unbeaten super welterweight contender survived two knockdowns in his last outing against crafty operator Serhii Bohachuk, before edging a highly contentious majority decision.
While it was far from his most convincing display, the 26-year-old nonetheless claimed the WBC interim strap, taking him closer to a world title shot at 154 lbs.
Since then, Ortiz has called out Terence Crawford, Sebastian Fundora and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, targeting a career-defining clash in the new year.
Talks have begun for a showdown between Vergil Ortiz Jr and Jaron Ennis
It is well documented that Ortiz suffered from several health issues, including dehydration and heat exhaustion, while he was campaigning down at 147 lbs.
However, given that these illnesses were largely weight-related, he now appears to have a new lease of life up at super welterweight.
Of the three champions in his division, the American has named WBA titlist Crawford and unified king Fundora as potential opponents for his next outing.
But while both fighters would make for compelling matchups, Ortiz’s return is seemingly more likely to be against IBF world welterweight champion Ennis.
Since his underwhelming performance against Karen Chukhadzhian, Boots has expressed a desire to meet Ortiz at 154 lbs, believing that the additional weight would play to his strengths.
Sure enough, talks to stage their mouthwatering dustup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have already begun, with Golden Boy president Eric Gomez sharing an encouraging update.
“We started preliminary talks for a fight with ‘Boots’ Ennis,” Gomez, who promotes Ortiz, told Fight Freaks Unite. “Vergil wants that fight. He’s willing to do it, so we’ve started talks and we’ll know in the next couple of weeks whether we can get it done or not.
“It’s a great fight — two undefeated champions, both American. ‘Boots’ has done great for himself at welterweight. He’s gonna move up now and challenge at 154 and Vergil, since he got through with his illness, he’s been great.”
Will Vergil Ortiz vs. Jaron Ennis headline a Riyadh Season card?
The Riyadh Season card planned for February 22 is reportedly shaping up nicely, with top middleweight contender Hamzah Sheeraz looking set to face WBC titlist Carlos Adames.
While his next opponent is still yet to be revealed, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, too, is rumored to appear on the card.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, though, will no longer be facing mandatory challenger William Zepeda, who was forced to pull out with an injury.
And so, with their clash being removed from the eagerly anticipated event, a battle between Ortiz and Ennis could potentially be the perfect replacement.