Ennis and Ortiz were tied to the hip over the last five months for a fight that never materialized. Getting a deal done became nearly impossible once Ortiz and promoter Golden Boy got entangled in a lingering legal situation.

Ortiz sued Golden Boy in January and tried to secure a deal with a third party. The WBC interim super welterweight champion’s preferred path was officially blocked by a Nevada judge Tuesday.

Both parties will now head to arbitration to settle the dispute. While Ortiz appears sidelined for the foreseeable future, Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn is shifting focus toward other fights for Ennis.

“I guess that [legal] scenario can be settled instantly, or it can never be settled,” Hearn told The Ring on Friday. “But we’re moving on with Jaron Ennis, in a sense of, that door [for Ortiz] is still open. If we get something else done, we go in for it. We’ve started to make plans, with that respect. I will never really give up on Ennis versus Ortiz. It’s the best fight in American boxing.

“We’ll have to see, but right now, we are obviously planning the future of Jaron Ennis … Josh Kelly is obviously a fight that can be made. The Xander Zayas fight is a huge fight in America as well. Jermell Charlo has been on. There is a whole host. We will get Boots a big fight. He will fight in May.”

Hearn also promotes England’s Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs), who won the IBF junior middleweight title by scoring an upset majority-decision win against Bakhram Murtazaliev on January 31 in Newcastle.

On the same night in Puerto Rico, Zayas further solidified his position in the weight class by beating Abass Baraou unanimously on points to unify titles in the division. Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) holds the WBA and WBO crowns.

Prior to beating Murtazaliev, Hearn said Kelly had already signed to fight Ennis. But Kelly shared that Ennis wasn’t the be-all and end-all plan immediately after securing the title.

Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs, 1 NC), a former Ring, IBF and WBA welterweight champion, made his 154-pound debut in October and stopped Uisma Lima in the first round. He wants a crack at one of the division crowns in his next fight.

Ennis is ranked No. 5 by The Ring at junior middleweight. Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) is rated No. 1, Zayas is No. 3 and Kelly is No. 6.

The Ring title is vacant. The other champion in the division is WBC belt-holder Sebastian Fundora. Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) is The Ring’s No. 2-ranked fighter in the division and is set to defend his title against Keith Thurman on March 28 in Las Vegas.

In the meantime, Ortiz appears to be on the outside of the picture looking in.

“Although the judge didn’t see it our way and the [Ennis] fight is blocked for now, my team and I will be moving on to arbitration and to the court appeal,” Ortiz said earlier this week. “My time with Golden Boy is done. I am confident that my right to move on to other opportunities will be upheld. As always, I’m in the gym staying ready – any 154 champion should do the same. It’s only a matter of time.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.