Vergil Ortiz has embraced a major fight outside the ring in an attempt to land the biggest bout of his career inside it.

The Ring has learned a lawsuit was filed on Ortiz’s behalf Thursday in a Nevada court that requests the termination of his promotional contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s company. Golden Boy Promotions, which has represented Ortiz in a pro career that began in July 2016, extended their contract for three years in May 2024.

Gregory M. Smith, Ortiz’s attorney, cited declaratory relief, breach of contract and interference with [prospective] economic advantage as grounds for ending that agreement in a lawsuit filed with a U.S. District Court in Nevada.

Ortiz’s hope is that separating himself from Golden Boy will help him secure the high-profile fight he wants next, a showdown with junior middleweight rival Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

Rick Mirigian, Ortiz’s manager, and De La Hoya have been at odds on social media recently regarding how negotiations for a fight versus Ennis should be handled. De La Hoya threatened legal action against Mirigian for inviting other promoters to work with Ortiz, one of boxing’s most entertaining knockout artists.

Among the claims made in Ortiz’s 32-page lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by The Ring, is that De La Hoya’s strained relationships with competing promoters and the sport’s most prominent power broker, Turki Alalshikh, has prevented him from finalizing a deal to finally fight Ennis. De La Hoya is called “a controversial and divisive figure in boxing” in the lawsuit, which also refers to the retired six-division champion’s “history of substance abuse.”

Ennis is promoted by Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who has spoken countless times of a verbal agreement made with DAZN executives and De La Hoya last summer to make Ortiz-Ennis after both boxers took interim fights they easily won by knockout last fall. Alalshikh is chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and owner of The Ring.

The lawsuit also states that the end of Golden Boy’s exclusive content partnership with DAZN affords Ortiz the right to void his promotional contract.

Golden Boy acknowledged that its DAZN deal ended December 31. Its contention to Ortiz’s handlers, according to the lawsuit, is that the company is negotiating another deal with DAZN to provide content in 2026 and 2027 and thus retains its promotional rights for the duration of their three-year contract.

The lawsuit notes, too, that DAZN executives made it clear to Ortiz’s team that it would not accept any opponent next other than Ennis.

The bout between Ortiz, 27, and Ennis, 28, is commonly considered one of the fights boxing fans most want to watch in 2026. Offering such significant matchups to its subscribers is considered vital to DAZN’s business because the streaming service launched an Ultimate plan last fall that costs $44.99 monthly in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom and is designed to include fights that are considered worthy of the pay-per-view platform.

Ortiz (WBC) and Ennis (WBA) hold interim 154-pound championships. Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas, is ranked No. 1 among The Ring’s contenders for a vacant junior middleweight crown, five spots higher than Philadelphia’s Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs).

Ennis, however, is a former Ring, IBF and WBA welterweight champ who hasn’t come remotely close to losing since he made his pro debut in April 2016.

Ortiz’s lawsuit is the latest on a lengthy list of Golden Boy’s legal entanglements with its top fighters. Smith previously represented Canelo Alvarez when boxing’s biggest star got out of his contract with De La Hoya’s company and DAZN late in 2020 because it didn’t deliver on its initial commitment of $365 million over 11 fights.

Golden Boy have since released a statement in response, which read: "We are aware of the lawsuit. Unfortunately, Vergil is getting bad advice from his lawyer and manager who have repeatedly violated the contract. We will aggressively defend this lawsuit and enforce our rights. We are confident a judge will agree that our contract is valid and Vergil and his team are in breach."