All signs pointed toward Ortiz and Ennis squaring off this year. However, once Ortiz got entangled in a legal battle with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions that has yet to be settled, Ennis moved on to an equally meaningful matchup against WBA and WBO junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas on June 27.

Although developments have left the 28-year-old Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) stuck on the sidelines, the feeling within his team is that the tilt will still take place in a reasonable timeline.

“We're still expecting this fight to happen,” Ortiz’s head coach, Robert Garcia, told The Ring. “We respect Boots for being willing to take the fight. They're both young, and if it takes some time, it could be even bigger by then. But they're not going to fight at 35.

“This is the fight Vergil wants, and we as a team want it. Vergil will fight anybody. He doesn't want to waste time with easy opponents. Vergil only wants to face the best fighters, and Vergil vs. Boots is one of the best fights that can be made in boxing. Boxing needs a fight like this.

Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) is a -425 betting favorite to beat Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) in their fight, which will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to headline a DAZN pay-per-view event.

Garcia envisions Ennis outlasting Zayas in what he feels could potentially be a 50-50 encounter. However, when it comes to the fight between Ortiz, rated No. 1 by The Ring, and Ennis, ranked fifth, Garcia visualizes a more vicious and brutal battle.

“I think it will be a war, and one of the best fights you’ll see,” said Garcia. “It would be unbelievable if we get a Hagler vs. Hearns-like war.

“Boots is the real deal. He's talented, he's a great fighter, he has future superstar potential, and can fight like Terence Crawford. But when he has Vergil in front of him, it's going to be a different story when they fight. I know that Vergil's experience is going to be a big factor in that fight, and Boots is going to feel it.

“Boots gets hit. He has a Philadelphia fighter's mentality. He's not a runner who does just enough to win rounds and win by decision. He takes challenges and chances, and he wants to please. That's what makes him a fighter that fans want to see. This is going to be an exciting fight when it happens. We should expect a great fight. I see the fight ending in the late rounds with Vergil knocking him out.”

Garcia has watched a world-class fighter he trains allow the prime years of his career slip away. He experienced it first hand when brother Mikey Garcia didn’t fight for 2 ½ years – from the age of 27 to 29 – due to a legal dispute with Top Rank.

“The best part of Mikey's career came after separating from Top Rank,” said Robert Garcia. “Vergil is very patient and has good people around him supporting. He's going to be hungrier and stronger once he returns and prove that he's the fighter everyone wants to face and wants to see. He's going to prove to the world, sooner or later.”