Ennis vs Ortiz: Main event in 2026, according to Eddie Hearn

Boxer Jaron “Boots” Ennis could face Vergil Ortiz in the first quarter of 2026, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, as long as Ennis is victorious in his super welterweight debut this Saturday. Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs), 28 years old, will face Uisma Lima (14-1, 10 KOs) in his first fight at 154 pounds, at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. This event marks his transition after having climbed to the top of the welterweight rankings. After his technical knockout victory in the sixth round against Eimantas Stanionis in April, Ennis seeks to deliver a great performance against Lima, from Angola and residing in Portugal, in front of his local fans, with the aim of boosting his career towards bigger fights. The winner of Saturday’s fight, where the WBA interim title will be at stake, will advance to challenge for the WBA super welterweight world championship against Abass Barou (17-1, 9 KOs), from Germany. However, Hearn is targeting an even bigger fight for “Boots” against Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), who will defend the WBC interim super welterweight title against Erickson Lubin on November 8.

We want the most important fights after Saturday, and for me the one that makes the most sense and the one that has been negotiated is Vergil Ortiz.

Eddie Hearn

Hearn revealed that negotiations are already underway with Golden Boy and DAZN, and that Ennis has signed an agreement to fight Ortiz. Hearn believes that Ennis will perform even better in the super welterweight division and that the Philadelphia boxer is willing to face any world champion in 2026. Ortiz, from Texas, and WBC super welterweight world champion Sebastian Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs), from California, hold the number 1 and 2 spots respectively in the 154-pound rankings. Hearn believes Ennis could even compete at super middleweight.

Hearn also commented on Ennis’s possible options to challenge for a world title at 154 pounds, including Xander Zayas, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundora, WBA champion Abass Baraou, and WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz. Hearn predicts that Ennis will be “a different animal” at 154 pounds and could move up to 168 pounds. Furthermore, he believes that Ennis could become the number 1 pound-for-pound and a world champion in at least four weight classes.