Vergil Ortiz Jr. & Golden Boy Promotions Reach an ‘Amicable Settlement,’ So What’s Next?

The legal issues between interim WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. and his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, are finally over after they reached an “amicable settlement”. With this business feud now in the rearview, what happens next for Ortiz Jr.?

The legal dispute between Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs) and Golden Boy took place weeks after his second-round destruction of Erickson Lubin in their November 2025 fight, which also included a viral face-off with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. Once negotiations began, a conflict arose when it appeared that Ortiz Jr.’s manager was trying to negotiate the fight directly without Golden Boy’s involvement, and it spiraled into a finger-pointing session that spilled over online.

Then the lawyers got involved, which cost Ortiz more months of inactivity. Finally, last month, there was a positive break in all of this when Oscar De La Hoya announced that they were close to putting the whole situation to bed. On Friday, FightsATW confirmed that Ortiz Jr. and Golden Boy reached an agreement that will allow the 28-year-old Ortiz Jr. from Dallas, Texas, to resume his boxing career.

Ortiz Jr. said in the Golden Boy press release, “I’m very grateful that Golden Boy and I were able to come to an understanding and resolve everything,” he said. “I’m excited to move forward and make the biggest fights happen, including the Ennis fight. My only focus is on delivering unforgettable fights for the fans, and I know my team and I will accomplish that together.”

Following Ortiz Jr.’s comments, it was Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya.

“Our relationship with Vergil has spanned more than a decade, and we are proud to have played a role in his development into one of the sport’s premier fighters,” said De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “We look forward to continuing our partnership and working together with Vergil Jr., Rick Mirigian, and the rest of Team Ortiz to deliver the biggest fights possible for boxing fans.”

Now that all of that is done, who does Ortiz Jr. face next? There is an argument that, after nine months out of the ring, a solid contender from the top ten would be appropriate. If that’s the route, that could be Charles Conwell if he comes out victorious on August 1 and decides to resign/extend his contract with Golden Boy (according to Ohio Runs Boxing on social media, which has close ties to Conwell, he has one fight left with Golden Boy) for the fight. That would be a very good, competitive fight, and close odds would likely be posted for it.

The one most fight fans want to see is the Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis fight. It’s one of the best fights that can be made in boxing. The only issue now is that, since Ortiz Jr. has been on the shelf, Ennis’ stock has gone up after winning two titles and beating Xander Zayas in a decisive fashion. If they can make the numbers work, it’ll be a huge fight for the last quarter of the year.

The last option would be to force the WBC’s hand by making himself the mandatory challenger for Sebastian Fundora. Although Fundora’s promoter has stated that his fighter will face the WBC #1 contender, Ermal Hadribeaj, in the fall, Ortiz Jr. and his team could request that Hadribeaj be replaced, giving the winner of Fundora and Ortiz Jr. the mandatory spot. This is the least likely scenario, but if the Ennis negotiations fall apart, why not go after Fundora?

Regardless of the option Ortiz Jr. takes, the biggest hurdle, getting things right with Golden Boy, is now complete. All that is left is to announce his next fight, which hopefully comes when Golden Boy hosts Lamont Roach vs. William Zepeda on August 1.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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