Speaking tonight during a break in the action here on “Latino Night” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya confirmed that unbeaten 154 pounder Vergil Ortiz Junior will return to action on February 22. And De La Hoya also confirmed that the guy in the opposite corner will be one of these three names: Sebastian Fundora, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Terence Crawford.
“It’s one of those three. It’s one of those three,” a beaming De La Hoya told DAZN.
Ortiz, when asked who he would prefer to face out of these three fighters, all great potential foes for Ortiz or course, broke it down as follows:
“I would say Sebastian Fundora [is my number one choice]. I’m already the interim [WBC champ at 154], I think we could make that fight easy,” Ortiz said. “Number two, I would say Jaron Ennis, he could move up. And Terence Crawford, I’ve wanted that fight. He’s arguably pound-for-pound number one or two [today]. He’s a great fighter and I want to test myself against the greats to prove my greatness.”
So, who will it be out of the three? Ortiz, who as De La Hoya said tonight, “will fight anybody,” is currently 22-0(21) and he is coming off that decision win over Serhii Bohachuk, the August fight a real war as well as a FOTY contender. Can Ortiz chop down “Towering Inferno” Fundora? Can he topple “Boots” Ennis? Or might Ortiz get to share a ring with future Hall of Famer “Bud” Crawford?
Either fight would be great, and De La Hoya, to repeat, did say that it will indeed be one of these guys in the ring with Ortiz in February. For my money, Fundora gets the gig. But again, either fight would be most welcome. Just who is the top dog at 154 pounds right now? Can Ortiz go on to prove that it is he who is the man?
