“It’s too much going back and forth {Ortiz}, a lot of talking. I can’t just wait. I see all the little talking he’d been doing….. let him get through his fight and we’ll take it from there.”<\/p>\n
–\u00a0Ennis on The Ariel Helwani Show<\/p>\n
Ennis (35-0, 33 KOs) made quick work in his last fight, stopping Uisma Lima 72 seconds into the first round on Oct. 11th. Since then, fans have been clamoring for a bout between the two unbeaten contenders.<\/p>\n
Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) is set to fight Erickson Lubin on Nov. 8th at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. While a potential bout with Ennis is arguably the biggest fight that could be made at 154lbs, Ortiz has to focus on the task at hand.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Vergil Ortiz Jr. \/ IMAGO\/ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n
When asked about previous negotiations on a fight with Ortiz, “Boots” revealed that he sealed his part of the contract, but was told that Ortiz’s side will revisit the potential fight once they get through Lubin.<\/p>\n
“I signed like that. No problem. That’s understandable though, you gotta stay on task for what’s in front of you and not overlook nobody.”<\/p>\n
–\u00a0Ennis on The Ariel Helwani Show<\/p>\n
Both Ennis and Ortiz are ranked in the top 10 of the Ring Magazine’s junior middleweight division, with Ortiz at No. 1 and Ennis at No. 7. Both men’s careers have always been compared to and intertwined for several years now, and it seems like when they eventually cross paths, the hype for the fight could be Crawford-Spence like.<\/p>\n
There wasn’t much to judge about in Ennis’ debut at junior middleweight, mainly because the Philly native made quick work of his opponent. But one thing for certain is that he looked like a more rejuvenated and a less drained fighter in his new weight class.<\/p>\n
“Boots” has openly talked about the struggles of previously making the welterweight limit of 147lbs, and how much it took out of him. Now that he’s at 154lbs, the product definitely showed in his last fight, and Ennis said it also made a difference in training camp.<\/p>\n
“Camp was 10x better. You know I could eat a little more, I felt way stronger throughout the whole camp. During the last week of training camp…. I had a bunch of energy.”<\/p>\n
–\u00a0Ennis on The Ariel Helwani Show<\/p>\n
Not only is Ennis in the top 10 at junior middleweight, he is also ranked No. 1 in the WBA and is the mandatory challenger for world champion Abass Baraou. Whatever is next, it seems like “Boots” has a lot of options going into 2026.<\/p>\n
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