

Turki Alalshikh Eyes Jaron Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz As Part Of Riyadh Super Card In November

Nate Pardo-Marrero
Jun 24, 2025
2 min read
If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is to have his way, Jaron “Boots” Ennis won't be easing into his run at junior middleweight. During a roundtable interview with The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, Rick Reeno and Ish Hinson, Alalshikh said he hopes to make Enni...
If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is to have his way, Jaron “Boots” Ennis won't be easing into his run at junior middleweight.
During a roundtable interview with The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, Rick Reeno and Ish Hinson, Alalshikh said he hopes to make Ennis vs. interim WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz next as part of a huge card in November in Saudi Arabia. Ennis, The Ring, IBF and WBA welterweight champion, announced that he’ll be moving up from 147 to 154 pounds in his next fight.
“I hope to have Ortiz against Boots,” Alalshikh said.
Alalshikh also said he hopes to match rising undefeated super middleweight contenders, Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez, one of boxing’s best prospects, Moses Itauma, against Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs), plus 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) and William Zepeda on the same card. There’s no shortage of moving parts before that card can come to fruition, though.
Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) faces former middleweight title challenger Maciej Sulecki (33-3-1, 13 KOs) for the interim WBC super middleweight title on Friday, while Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs) is set to face Pierre Hubert Dibombe (22-2-1, 12 KOs) on July 12.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) is returning Aug. 16 against former heavyweight title contender Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) in Saudi Arabia. Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) has his hands full on July 12 when he faces WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) in Queens, New York, on The Ring’s “Ring III” pay-per-view show at Louis Armstrong Stadium on DAZN.
Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) is coming off a dominant sixth-round stoppage of Eimantas Stanionis on April 12 to become a unified welterweight champion. Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) also landed one of the most impressive wins of his career the last time he stepped into the ring, defeating former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision on Feb. 22.
Ennis vs Ortiz has long been one of the best fights that can be made in boxing. Now, with both fighters in the same weight class for a second time, they find themselves on a collision course again. And in a loaded 154-pound division, the winner of Ennis vs Ortiz will be well-positioned to cement themselves atop junior middleweight for the foreseeable future.
News
Fight news

Nate Pardo-Marrero

Next
Conor Benn believes he should have won a decision
RELATED ARTICLES
The Ring Roundtable: 5 key questions before the biggest fights on January 31
Latest News

Declan Taylor: Will Josh Kelly's rough ride reach its dream destination?
Latest News

Frank Sanchez-Richard Torrez reach deal on IBF eliminator, late March targeted
Latest News

RELATED ARTICLES
The Ring Roundtable: 5 key questions before the biggest fights on January 31
Latest News

Declan Taylor: Will Josh Kelly's rough ride reach its dream destination?
Latest News

Frank Sanchez-Richard Torrez reach deal on IBF eliminator, late March targeted
Latest News

Can you beat Coppinger?
Lock in your fantasy picks on rising stars and title contenders for a shot at $100,000 and exclusive custom boxing merch.
Partners






































