Vergil Ortiz Jr. wants to set the record straight when it comes to his history with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Ortiz and Ennis rose through the welterweight ranks together but were never seriously thought of as potential opponents due to their simultaneous rises. However, the 27-year-old claimed that their concurrent moves to the 154-pound division led to a fight offer, which he accepted and ‘Boots’ did not.
“At 147, we’re both up-and-coming prospects or whatever,” Ortiz said on ‘Inside the Ring.’ “Fight doesn’t happen. I always felt it was going to happen at 154 anyway. I move up to 154, Jaron Ennis got a world title at 147, or a couple of them, I think. He has a lot of momentum going his way. If I had that much momentum, I would have went straight to the big fight at 154, if I’m being honest. I’m just that kind of guy, I guess. When it was time to say yes to fight, I was the only one that said yes.
“A lot of people that said I was ducking at 147 when there was no fight to be offered or anything like that. The only time the fight has been offered to either of us, I have said yes. When people are saying ducking, when they align it with me, they can’t say that because I said yes.”
Vergil Ortiz Jr says the hold-up isn’t on his side when it comes to a fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis 👀#InsideTheRing | Latest episode LIVE NOW on The Ring’s YouTube 📺 pic.twitter.com/VbTsbJZdMJ
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) November 7, 2025Vergil Ortiz Jr., Jaron Ennis’ simultaneous 154-pound title reigns
Unlike Ennis, Ortiz was never a champion at welterweight. It did not take the Texan long to claim gold at 154 pounds, winning the interim title with a majority decision nod over Serhii Bohachuk in August 2024.
Although Ennis is also an interim champion, winning the WBA interim title with a TKO win over Uisma Lima in October, the two will not yet meet in the ring. Ortiz will instead defend his belt against 30-year-old Erickson Lubin on Saturday.
Vergil Ortiz lands a right hand on Serhii Bohachuk in their WBC interim super welterweight championship bout on Aug. 10, 2024, at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
The fight will be Lubin’s third title shot after he previously fell short twice. ‘The Hammer’ lost his first opportunity to Jermell Charlo in October 2017 before getting halted by Sebastian Fundora in his second attempt in April 2022. Lubin was stopped in both fights, which are his only professional losses.
Whether Ortiz’s claims of a potential fight are true or not, he is almost destined to meet Ennis in the ring soon. Both fighters are still a couple of years away from 30 and rising in star power with each fight.
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