Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron Ennis dealt huge blow after Nevada judge rules in favor of Golden Boy
· Yahoo Sports
Just 10 days after Ryan Garcia's win over Mario Barrios, Golden Boy Promotions has secured another significant victory — except this time, in the courtroom against one of its own star fighters, Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Judge Cristina D. Silva granted Golden Boy's motion for interim injunctive relief against Ortiz and to compel arbitration on Monday. Furthermore, the Nevada judge denied Golden Boy's motion to dismiss Ortiz Jr.'s claim, instead staying the action pending arbitration. This follows a Feb. 20 hearing where the sides appeared before Judge Silva to argue whether the case should head to arbitration and whether Ortiz Jr. should be allowed to proceed with his career in the interim.
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The ruling arrives just hours after Ortiz filed an emergency motion with the court requesting confirmation that the 14-day temporary restraining order granted by Judge Silva had expired. Silva confirmed that the TRO had expired, but Ortiz is not free to negotiate and sign a Jaron "Boots" Ennis fight and/or a promotional contract because of a fresh injunction granted by the court.
Said Silva in her ruling obtained by Uncrowned:
"Further, because I find that this action is arbitrable, injunctive relief is necessary to preserve the status quo. Thus, I also grant Golden Boy’s request for interim injunctive relief to allow for meaningful arbitration, so I hereby order that Ortiz may not negotiate or contract with third parties for future fights before the arbitrator addresses the parties’ dispute set forth in this action."
Ortiz signed a three-year agreement with Golden Boy in May 2024. Under the contract, Ortiz has the right to terminate the deal if Golden Boy’s “distribution relationship” with DAZN ends. Ortiz would not be allowed to terminate the deal if Golden Boy had already agreed on all material terms of a new exclusive distribution deal and was merely negotiating the long-form agreement. The contract required Ortiz to exercise any termination right within 30 days of learning of the triggering event.
Golden Boy’s formal contract with DAZN expired on Dec. 31, after which Ortiz exercised what he contends was his contractual right to terminate the agreement on Jan. 8. Golden Boy disputes that Ortiz is a free agent, arguing that despite the expiration of the DAZN contract, it maintained an active distribution relationship with the broadcaster and had agreed upon material terms for a new broadcast deal. The promoter has also pointed to a Golden Boy event that aired on DAZN in January and one that is scheduled to stream in March as evidence that its distribution relationship had not truly ended.
Ortiz filed suit against Golden Boy on Jan. 16, seeking declaratory relief confirming that his promotional agreement had been validly terminated. It is now up to an arbitrator to interpret the disputed contractual language — namely, the definition of a "distribution relationship" — and to determine whether Ortiz lawfully terminated the agreement.
Ortiz and Golden Boy are required to file a joint notice with the court on Sept. 2, 2026, or within five days after an arbitrator has reached a decision in their dispute, whichever comes first.
Should Ortiz be successful in the arbitration, he will be a free agent and able to negotiate and sign for an Ennis bout. If Golden Boy prevails, Ortiz is contractually bound to the company until at least August 2027.
Either way, it appears highly unlikely that we see Ortiz and Ennis share the ring next — unless Ortiz and Golden Boy resolve matters in a timely fashion, which is highly unlikely.