Ortiz Jr. denied reports that he had finalized a deal to fight Erickson Lubin. Some media outlets had claimed the bout was set for October 18, 2025, in the United States. The pressure fighter made it clear on DAZN that these reports were not accurate.
Instead, Ortiz Jr. said he made an offer to fight WBO 154-pound champion Xander Zayas. He gave Zayas a deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025, to accept the challenge.
Zayas responded to Ortiz Jr.'s claim. The Top Rank-promoted fighter said:
"It wasn't a real offer. I'd fight him in Puerto Rico, but Top Rank might not want me to face a pressure fighter like Ortiz Jr."
Zayas recently won the vacant WBO super welterweight title on July 26, 2025, beating Jorge Garcia Perez. There's talk he might defend his title against Giovani Santillan in Puerto Rico this December.
As for Erickson Lubin, he's the mandatory challenger for IBF 154-pound champion Bakhram Murtazaliev. This status might complicate any potential fight with Ortiz Jr.
Ortiz Jr.'s team will need to sort out these challenges to secure his next opponent. The boxing world waits to see who will step into the ring with the hard-hitting Texan next.