Vergil Ortiz is set to face Israil Madrimov next month, not Jaron Ennis as many fans hoped. The fight will take place on February 22 in Saudi Arabia for the interim WBC super-welterweight title.
Ortiz claims he agreed to fight Ennis, but the deal fell through. He thinks someone on Ennis' team might not be telling the whole truth about why it didn't happen.
In an interview with Talksport Boxing, Ortiz shared his thoughts on the failed negotiations:
"I don't think he's the one avoiding me. I think there's someone on the team that is lying. Us as boxers, we're not the ones negotiating. We have managers for a reason."
Ortiz doesn't blame Ennis directly. He believes the issue might lie with someone else involved in the negotiations:
"I'm not saying it's his manager because there are so many people that come into play. I can't say who it is because I don't know who it is. The only thing I know is we said yes, and it was a simple yes."
The sticking point seems to be that Ennis didn't want to give up his IBF welterweight title to move up to 154lbs. Despite this setback, Ortiz remains hopeful about facing Ennis in the future:
"I believe so. It's a fight that has to happen."
For now, Ortiz will focus on his upcoming bout with Madrimov. The former world champion pushed Terence Crawford to his limits last August, so he'll be a tough test for Ortiz.
Ortiz has only gone the distance once in his pro career. His power was on full display in his last fight against Serhii Bohachuk, who later talked about how hard Ortiz hits.
The February 22 event in Saudi Arabia will be packed with big fights. Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will clash in an undisputed light heavyweight title rematch. Daniel Dubois will also defend his IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker on the same card.
