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Andreas Hale
Vergil Ortiz Jr. made short work of Erickson Lubin with a vicious second-round TKO at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, where the war of words with Jaron “Boots” Ennis afterward was far more competitive than the fight that took place inside the ring.
Ortiz (24-0, 23 KOs) ran roughshod over Lubin (27-3, 19 KOs), who was thought to present a challenge for the WBC interim junior middleweight champion. Instead, it was one-way traffic that culminated in a violent finish.
Ortiz, who barely broke a sweat, wasted little time afterward calling out Ennis for what will be one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2026.
“We’re ready to fight the best. Boots, come over here,” Ortiz said to Ennis, who was seated ringside with promoter Eddie Hearn.
Ennis, who blew out Uisma Lima with a first-round stoppage in his 154-pound debut last month, entered the ring to face off with Ortiz.
“This is the fight that has to happen,” Ortiz said. “This is it.”
Ennis didn’t back down and accepted Ortiz’s challenge.
“This is the best fight in boxing,” Ennis said. “He looked good, but I’m going to show the world why I’m the best.”
The two undefeated fighters exchanged banter, with Ennis urging Ortiz to make a side bet on the fight.
“I don’t bet, but don’t make any promises that you can’t keep,” Ortiz said.
The performance of Ortiz, 27, only heightened the anticipation for their upcoming clash. He applied pressure from the opening bell, forcing Lubin’s back into the ropes behind a probing jab and punches to the torso.
Lubin, a southpaw, was far too content keeping his back on the ropes and paid for it dearly in Round 2 when Ortiz plowed forward and delivered a wicked variety of power punches. A pair of right hands saw Lubin drop his hands with only the ropes keeping him upright, and the referee rescued him from further damage at the 1:30 mark.
Lubin landed only three punches in the fight. Ortiz was effective and efficient by landing 25 of 41 punches.
“There wasn’t much to evaluate. I just capitalized on his mistakes,” Ortiz said.
While Ortiz had to take care of business, the talk throughout fight week was all about whether a fight between the heavy-handed puncher out of Texas and Ennis would happen. The talk had been ongoing for more than a year.
Judging by their willingness to engage after the fight and their respective promoters, Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya, seeming to be on board with the fight happening next, the boxing world won’t have to wait much longer.