Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron Ennis negotiations screech to halt after Golden Boy granted temporary restraining order

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Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron "Boots" Ennis may not be happening after all.

A Nevada judge granted Golden Boy Promotions' emergency motion for a temporary restraining order against Ortiz on Friday. The order precludes Ortiz from entering into third-party contracts for his fight against Ennis until further order of the court.

News broke Monday that the undefeated duo of Ennis and Ortiz were negotiating for an April fight, with the possibility of a deal being finalized this week. The talks excluded Golden Boy, who argues it still has an exclusive promotional agreement with Ortiz. 

Ortiz signed a three-year contract with Golden Boy in May 2024. Lawyers for Ortiz claim that, under the agreement, Ortiz can terminate his contract with Golden Boy if the promoter no longer has an active broadcast deal with DAZN and has not secured an exclusive distribution agreement with an alternative broadcaster.  

Golden Boy's contract with DAZN ended on Dec. 31, and thus Ortiz exercised his right to terminate the agreement on Jan. 8. Lawyers for Golden Boy argue that Ortiz is not yet a free agent because, although its deal with DAZN hasn't been renewed, Golden Boy is still in negotiations for a new media rights agreement with the broadcaster. The parties are even working on a potential March 14 show together.

Ortiz enacted a legal challenge against Golden Boy on Jan. 16. Part of that complaint asked a Nevada court, by way of declaratory relief, to confirm that his contract with Golden Boy had been terminated. 

Although Ortiz and Golden Boy's contract is in dispute, talks remained ongoing between Ennis and Ortiz. Golden Boy says it learned from three separate individuals affiliated with the boxing industry this past weekend that Ortiz is on the verge of executing an agreement with third parties for a fight against Ennis. The promoter claims it was not involved in those negotiations and did not authorize Ortiz to engage in these talks, which resulted in a violation of their promotional agreement.

Golden Boy says Tom Brown of TGB Promotions, the promoter for PBC events, informed them on Feb. 11 that Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing was planning the Ortiz-Ennis bout for April 18 in Las Vegas. After hearing that, Golden Boy asked for an emergency temporary restraining order against Ennis on Feb. 11.

Golden Boy argues that if Ortiz entered into a contract with third parties for the Ennis bout this week, it would cause irreparable harm to the company. 

"If Ortiz enters into an agreement with third parties for the Ennis bout, monetary damages could not remedy Golden Boy’s lost broadcast relationships, lost promotional opportunities, lost goodwill, and lost contractual leverage, which are critical to Golden Boy’s business as a promoter.

"Furthermore, Golden Boy’s negotiations with the sports streaming service, DAZN, for a new 2026-27 broadcast agreement have stalled pending resolution of the dispute with Ortiz. Ortiz’s forthcoming agreement with third parties for the Ennis bout would likely lead DAZN to terminate its relationship with Golden Boy and cancel its negotiations with Golden Boy for a 2026-27 broadcast agreement."

As a result of Golden Boy's arguments, Judge Cristina D. Silva decided to grant Golden Boy a temporary restraining order on Friday. A Feb. 20 hearing has been set regarding the motion.