The contentious, high stakes arbitration case for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz over whether Ortiz can be a free agent has an arbitration date set for July 14th.
Undefeated junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz and Golden Boy Promotions are set to enter a critical arbitration hearing in Las Vegas on July 14th, marking the next important step in their legal dispute that could either hamper or restart Ortiz's career, as a free agent.
Boxingscene.com reported the arbitration news/date late Monday afternoon.
Ortiz, who has long been associated with promoter Oscar De La Hoya, is attempting to sever ties with Golden Boy following a breakdown in their relationship over the failure to secure a massive payday fight with unified welterweight champ Jaron "Boots" Ennis late last year.
The 27 year old Ortiz,, 24-0 with 22 KOs, claims that De Lay Hoya, on behalf of Golden Boy, hindered his earning potential and that Ortiz contends he could have gotten at least $16 million for that bout. Meanwhile, Golden Boy allegedly offered him only $3 million before muddying the deal with Ennis' promoter Matchroom Boxing.
Ortiz's lawyer sent a January letter to Golden Boy saying that their existing, multi-year deal was no longer valid and that Ortiz was legally a free agent to do his own deal for any fight, including the proposed Ennis matchup.
In contrast, Golden Boy sued Oritz and his manager, Rick Mirigian for actively trying to steer the fighter toward a different promoter, contributing to the current conflict.
Last month, Nevada District Judge Cristina Silva ordered the matter into arbitration per the signed contract and issued an injunction preventing Ortiz, the WBC interim 154 lb. champion, from negotiating with outside parties until the case is resolved.
The anticipated showdown with Ennis had generated significant interest. Ennis, 35-0, 31 KOs, was ringside at Ortiz’s dominant second-round stoppage of Erickson Lubin in Fort Worth, TX, last November. Both fighters, aligned with DAZN, were reportedly in discussions for a spring bout before negotiations collapsed as tensions escalated.
Since then, Ennis has shifted direction, agreeing to face undefeated unified champion Xander Zayas for the WBO/WBA 154 lb. titles on June 27th at Barclays Center in New York.
There has been legal "mess" in De La Hoya's past with future hall of famer Canelo Alvarez. Alvarez sued Golden Boy in 2020 for failure to live up to their massive, 11 fight contract and not sticking to the terms of his financial guarantees.
Ultimately, a mediator convinced De La Hoya to end the proceedings and let Alvarez out of his deal based on the "black and white" financial clauses in Alvarez's agreement that De La Hoya wasn't living up to at that time.
The Ortiz arbitration hearing is expected to last three days, with written closing arguments due in early August. A final ruling is anticipated by early September, aligning with Judge Silva’s directive to conclude proceedings by that time.