Ennis and Ortiz have been tangled in monthslong negotiations that became even more complicated once Ortiz filed a lawsuit on January 16 to terminate his promotional agreement with Golden Boy.

But the series of roadblocks is not swaying Ennis from seeing the deal cross the finish line.  

“I have high hopes. I think the fight is going to happen,” Ennis said over the weekend during The Ring Awards. “Everyone stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed. It's not in my hands. I'm just waiting to see what's going on. Hopefully they sign on the dotted line so we can make the fight happen. Everyone knows that I want it next.”

If the Ortiz fight is unavailable, Ennis wants to take on one of the champions at 154 pounds. WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora is headed toward a fight against Keith Thurman on March 28, while Xander Zayas, who now holds the WBA and WBO titles, just fought on Saturday and beat Abass Baraou in a title unification bout.

Also fighting on Saturday was Josh Kelly, who scored the clubhouse leader for 2026 Upset of the Year by unseating Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF title. 

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn promotes Ennis and staged the Kelly-Murtazaliev show in the United Kingdom. Prior to the fight, Hearn stated that Kelly had already signed to fight Ennis. Kelly, meanwhile, said Ennis is not his only option during post-fight remarks. 

“I want the champions and the big names,” said Ennis. “The 154-pound division is mine, and I'm ready to go through them, one by one. Bring on the biggest and best fights, and let's make it happen. … My style gives everybody problems. It's hard to train for me. I do everything.”

Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs), a former Ring, IBF and WBA welterweight champion, made his junior welterweight debut in October and knocked out Uisma Lima in one round. 

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