Golden Boy Promotions and Vergil Ortiz Jr. have settled their legal dispute. The promotion, Ortiz, and Ortiz’s manager Rick Mirigian announced Friday that they have reached what they called an amicable settlement resolving all outstanding claims, ending six months of litigation between the WBC interim junior middleweight titleholder and the company that has promoted him since 2016.
“Our relationship with Vergil has spanned more than a decade, and we are proud to have played a role in his development into one of the sport’s premier fighters,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “We look forward to continuing our partnership and working together with Vergil Jr., Rick Mirigian, and the rest of Team Ortiz to deliver the biggest fights possible for boxing fans.”
Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) made clear where his attention now sits.
“I’m very grateful that Golden Boy and I were able to come to an understanding and resolve everything,” Ortiz said. “I’m excited to move forward and make the biggest fights happen, including the Ennis fight. My only focus is on delivering unforgettable fights for the fans, and I know my team and I will accomplish that together.”
The announcement stated that all claims between the parties have been resolved and that additional terms of the settlement remain confidential.
The dispute began in January, when Ortiz sued Golden Boy in U.S. District Court in Nevada for breach of contract and interference with prospective economic advantage, seeking to void his promotional agreement after negotiations for a fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis collapsed. The suit argued in part that the end of Golden Boy’s exclusive content deal with DAZN in December gave Ortiz grounds to leave. Golden Boy responded at the time that it would “aggressively defend this lawsuit and enforce our rights.”
The fight that never happened sat at the center of the case. Ortiz’s side claimed he could have earned at least $16 million to face Ennis, while Golden Boy’s offer came in at $3 million. Golden Boy obtained a temporary restraining order in February that blocked Ortiz from negotiating fights without the company, and Nevada District Judge Cristina D. Silva later issued an injunction preventing Ortiz from dealing with third parties while the matter was pending. Golden Boy also filed a separate lawsuit in California accusing Mirigian of sharing details of Ortiz’s contractual situation with rival promoters.
The sides had been headed to court-ordered arbitration, which was pushed back to late September after a scheduling conflict with the arbitrator. Earlier this week, Mirigian told Dan Rafael’s Fight Freaks Unite that the sides had “reached a deal in principle.” Rafael reported that the agreement would keep Ortiz with Golden Boy for three more fights and that Golden Boy would drop its lawsuit against Mirigian. Friday’s announcement did not confirm those terms, and neither side has commented on the reported fight commitment.
While the case sat in court, the junior middleweight landscape moved. Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs), who had been chasing the Ortiz fight before turning elsewhere, stopped Xander Zayas in the seventh round at Barclays Center on June 27 to take the WBA and WBO titles at 154 pounds. That result leaves Ennis holding two belts and Ortiz holding the WBC interim title, with both men publicly on record wanting the matchup.
Golden Boy enters the resolution in a stronger commercial position than when the suit was filed. The promotion renewed its partnership with DAZN in March, removing the broadcast uncertainty that Ortiz’s lawsuit had leaned on. Ortiz has not fought since knocking out Erickson Lubin in November. No date or opponent for his return has been announced.
