Vergil Ortiz Jr. Is Boxing’s “Golden Ticket”

by Elliot Raines: Promoter Oscar De La Hoya says his fighter, Virgil Ortiz Jr., is the “golden ticket” for all the other boxers 147-154 to fight to be part of a “huge fight” in front of a packed Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

(Credit: Golden Boy Promotions/Cris Esqueda)

Ortiz (23-0, 21 KO) faces a big test against Eriksson Lubin (27-2, 19 KO) on Saturday, November 8, which will impact whether he becomes the star De La Hoya expects him to be.

Dream of a cowboy stadium

Virgil Jr. is still very much unproven at 27 years old, and he hasn’t exactly looked like gold in his last two fights at 154 years old since his encounters with solid B-tier fighters, Israel Madrimov and Serhiy Bohachuk. Lupine, another B-tier fighter, could prove to be too much for Ortiz Jr., which could thwart Oscar’s vision.

If interim WBC junior middleweight champion Ortiz Jr. loses this fight, it will put De La Hoya in a difficult position of having to explain what happened and face the truth about his fighter. He’s not as good as he thinks he is.

“I don’t want the next Virgil,” Ennis would say to Eddie. Give me another tune-up fight.” Vergil Ortiz is now extremely hungry for a world title shot, De La Hoya told the media on Thursday, speaking about Jaron “Boots” Ennis and his promoter Eddie Hearn. They plan to be ringside for the Ortiz Jr. vs. Lubin fight.

De La Hoya’s vision will not come true if he chooses not to face Ortiz Jr. Against Ennis next time. A fight against WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora won’t be big enough to fill Cowboys Stadium or bring in a significant number of PPV buys on DAZN.

Vergil Jr. needs To Ennis “Boots” for that because he is arguably the most popular fighter now that Terence Crawford has ditched the 154 pound division and moved up to 168.

“He won Saturday night fighting ‘Boots.’ “He has something else coming because Virgil is going to come with everything,” De La Hoya said.

See the golden ticket

“Virgil Ortiz, no matter what weight class he is in, everyone follows him because everyone knows that wherever he is, he’s the golden ticket. He’s the only guy who knows he’ll be able to fill Cowboys Stadium,” De La Hoya said.

Ortiz Jr. needs to look great against Eriksson on Saturday and not struggle the way he did against Madrimov and Pohachuk. He didn’t look like anyone’s “golden ticket” in these fighters. But even if he’s outstanding, he’ll need one of these fighters to sell out Cowboys Stadium:

• Jaron Ennis
• Ryan Garcia
• Devin Haney

None of the other 154-pound fighters besides Ennis can bring the numbers. The 160 lbs section is devoid of names. Ortiz’s bet is Ennis, Ryan and Haney at 147 pounds.

“Just like he told Jerry Jones when he was a little kid, ‘I’m going to fill this stadium for you,’ and I believe it now. But he’s the only guy who can do it. Without Virgil Ortiz, no one can do it now. If we pit Virgil against anyone in his next fight, it’s going to be a huge event.”

Elliot Reigns has covered British and European boxing since 2010. Renowned for his sharp pen and low tolerance for hype, Reigns dissects the politics of the sport, promoters and champions with pinpoint precision.