DAZN’s Chris Mannix reported during the Diego Pacheco-Immanuwel Aleem broadcast on Saturday that Ortiz wants to face unified 154-pound titleholder Jaron “Boots” Ennis next.

Mannix said he believes the two sides will eventually have discussions to see if a deal can be made.

Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2 junior middleweight, last fought in November 2025 when scoring a second0-round stoppage of Erickson Lubin. That electric, quick victory was supposed to set the table for a bout with Ennis in early 2026, but legal issues between Ortiz and his handlers at Golden Boy Promotions, derailed the mega-fight.

The 28-year-old filed a lawsuit in a Nevada court to get out of his contract with the promotional company, seeking the right to face Ennis without Golden Boy's inclusion.

Golden Boy eventually obtained a temporary restraining order against the Grand Prairie, Texas, native on February 13, preventing him from facing Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs) or making any fight without their involvement.

Ortiz and Golden Boy reached an amicable settlement on Friday to avoid arbitration and any pending litigation.

“I’m very grateful that Golden Boy and I were able to come to an understanding and resolve everything,” Ortiz said via press release. “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 stakes have been raised if Ennis and Ortiz were to meet in the near future. Ennis, The Ring’s No. 1-ranked junior middleweight and No. 9-ranked fighter pound-for-pound, won the WBA and WBO 154-pound titles with a seventh-round stoppage of Xander Zayas on June 27 in New York.

Ennis’ promoter, Matchroom Boxing CEO Eddie Hearn, told Mannix that he’d be willing to face Ortiz next, but he believes WBC titleholder Sebastian Fundora is the Philadelphia native’s preferred choice for his next fight.

Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3-ranked junior middleweight, is expected to face mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj in the fall.

IBF titleholder Josh Kelly is also an option for Ennis, and it’s an easy fight to make since Hearn promotes him too. Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) makes his first title defense against Caoimhin Agyarko (18-0, 7 KOs) on the undercard of Anthony Joshua versus Kristian Prenga on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“We want to fight Vergil Ortiz, but Boots has a very clear mindset to become undisputed champion,” Hearn said. “Josh Kelly fights next week in a really tough fight in Jeddah on the AJ card. He's in the stable — that's a tremendous unification, and honestly, Boots’ priority, his No. 1 pick right now, is Sebastian Fundora. That is the fight that he wants more than anything.

“If he fights Josh Kelly, the Fundora fight is for the undisputed championship. I think Boots knows that probably the biggest money fight is Vergil Ortiz, but it doesn't come with belts. It does come with a wonderful fight for boxing, and it is one of the very best fights in boxing. We're open to everything.”