Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said today that he wants WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight Terence Crawford, Sebastian Fundora, or Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis next on February 22 in Riyadh.
Vergil Jr.’s Oscar wish list
- Jaron Ennis
- Sebastian Fundora
- Terence Crawford
De La Hoya’s first choice is ‘Boots’ Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs), but he’s not sure if Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn still wants to fight Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) after Jaron’s poor performance. she had her rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9.
“It is one of those three. He is one of these three,” said De La Hoya on DAZN about the search for the big name of Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Oscar Wants Big Name for Vergil Jr
Ennis was exposed in that fight, and it would be a mistake for Hearn to put him up against a killer like Vergil Ortiz Jr.
That fight showed that Bots is vulnerable and can be taken out. Hearn may not want to risk putting him with Vergil Jr. and make him ruin all the hard work he has done trying to make a star out of him.
WBA 154-lb champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is still holding the reins, waiting to see if Canelo Alvarez will throw him a bone with a shot at their combined titles at 168. That fight is unlikely to happen.
Vergil, 26, has yet to attract fighters like Crawford, WBC, and WBO champion Fundora to want to fight him. It’s very dangerous for them, and it would be very difficult to fight a strong guy like Ortiz Jr. He is currently in the ‘Who Needs Him’ group.
In other words, Ortiz Jr. he’s more trouble than he’s worth unless the Saudis come in to lure Fundora, Crawford, or Boot Ennis into wanting to feud with him.
If Honorable Turki Alalshikh can help attract one of those big names, Vergil Jr. he will have an excellent opponent on February 22. However, without Turki’s help, De La Hoya will have to look elsewhere for Vergil to face the former WBC 154-lb interim champion. Serhii Bohachuk iwith a rematch.
Vergil defeated Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) via a controversial 12-round majority decision on August 10 in a fight that many fans saw Serhii winning.
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