Rick Mirigian has slammed Oscar De La Hoya after the Golden Boy boss said he would never work with him again amid a legal dispute over his fight loss to Jaron Ennis.

Mirigian is the manager of Vergil Ortiz Jr. and former world champion Jose Ramirez, among others. in De La Hoya promotional attire. He made the comments in response to De La Hoya’s recent comments on the situation, arguing that the promoter’s version of events did not reflect what happened during negotiations for the Ortiz-Ennis fight.

The fight was widely discussed as one of the biggest potential welterweight fights before talks broke down.

“Pobrecito thinks he has actually won the case,” Mirigian wrote, reacting to De La Hoya’s claims of victory in the early stages of the dispute.

Mirigian disputes Oscar De La Hoya’s version

At the center of the dispute is Golden Boy’s offer to Ortiz to fight Ennis. Mirigian maintains that the offer significantly underestimated his player’s value and says rejecting it was the right move.

“He only offers Vergil $3 million for the biggest fight in the entire sport, and then sues me personally for at least $10 million in ‘lost profits’ on the Vergil contract for simply saying, ‘No thanks, not enough money here,'” Mirigian said.

The dispute stems from last year’s negotiations for the Ortiz-Ennis fight. When the talks ended, the dispute escalated into legal action between Mirigian and Golden Boy.

Mirigian claims that subsequent offers showed that Ortiz’s market value was much higher than Ennis’ original proposal.

“Then, to further prove my point, I receive offers of $16 million and $12 million along with a bonus of up to $20 million for a fraction of what Oscar was offering,” he added.

Mirigian also rejected accusations of blocking the fight, insisting that he simply asked Golden Boy to present another opponent when the financial gap could not be bridged.

“No thank you, there is not enough money here, so please send us another opponent according to our contract, because in this case we are too far apart,” Mirigian said, claiming that no replacement opponent was ever offered.

Ortiz’s future could become history

Although De La Hoya publicly stated that he would never work with Mirigian again, the manager noted that several of his fighters were still involved in Golden Boy events.

“I have six guys there and tonight was the winner,” Mirigian said, noting that one of his guys headlined the event.

The exchange underscores how tense relations between Mirigian and Golden Boy have become since negotiations in the Ennis case collapsed and the dispute moved to court.

Given what happened and De La Hoya’s usual stance on retaining players while they remain under contract, it will be captivating to see how Ortiz’s future unfolds and whether the Golden Boy boss can realistically continue working with the undefeated contender while Mirigian remains his manager.

If this relationship can’t be repaired, the long-term situation between Ortiz and Golden Boy could become a bigger story than the Ennis negotiations that started the feud.

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“There is a manager I will never work with in my life, Rick Mirigian,” De La Hoya said in an interview with DAZN on Saturday. “He’s the one not letting the fight happen.”

De La Hoya insisted he had wanted to make the Ortiz-Ennis fight for weeks and said the attack did not come from Golden Boy.

“I was ready to fight this fight a month ago,” De La Hoya said. “I want the Vergil Ortiz-Boots fight not as a promoter but as a fan.”

Ortiz and Ennis have been exchanging messages on social media in recent weeks as discussions about a welterweight fight intensified.

The situation escalated even further when De La Hoya stated that the relationship between Golden Boy and Ortiz may be beyond repair.

“From what he said, there is no way I would work with him again,” De La Hoya said when asked about the possibility of working with Ortiz in the future.

However, Ortiz remains under contract with Golden Boy, and De La Hoya stressed that the legal agreement between both parties remains in force.

“We have a legally binding agreement,” De La Hoya said.

The feud has become one of the more public feuds in the welterweight division, with the proposed Ortiz-Ennis fight being viewed as a potential 147-pound main event.

For now, the outcome may depend on the arbitration process to determine how contractual issues between Golden Boy and Ortiz will be resolved.

David Benavidez’s father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., has shelved a potential world title fight while his son targets other delicate heavyweight and cruiserweight champions.

The 29-year-old will face one of such fighters on May 2, when he will headline the Premier Boxing Champions gala against Gilberto Ramirez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Benavidez, who has never fought at 200 pounds before, is entering uncharted waters as he tries to dethrone the WBO and WBA world champion.

Still, many believe the American’s dizzying hands and incredible engine are too much for Ramirez, who won the 2024 titles by dethroning Arsene Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith.

These two performances were followed by another unanimous decision victory, this time against Yuniel Dorticos last Juneand the “Zurdo” has now established itself as a top-class cruiser.

But while Benavidez must remain focused on the task ahead, his father is already naming players such as Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev as potential opponents.

So it appears that even with a victory over Ramirez, the WBC delicate heavyweight champion will likely return to 175 pounds.

One fight that has effectively been ruled out is against Jai Opetaia, whose IBF cruiserweight world champion status remains uncertain after winning the inaugural Zuffa title against Brandon Glanton last week.

I’m talking to Sean ZittelBenavidez Sr. insisted that the conflict between his son and Opetaia may have a future but does not deserve attention at the moment.

“I think so [Opetaia] gets hurt [time] fights; gets injured [by] warriors we don’t even know. I think he needs a little more experience.

“He doesn’t have the experience of David. I think in about three or four years he will be better. I see Beterbiev, Bivol and “Zurdo” Ramirez [as being] more unsafe than Opetaia.

“Everything is possible in the future. [But] I don’t see myself fighting for the Zuffa belt right now. At the moment our thoughts are focused on Bivol, Beterbiev and “Zurdo” Ramirez.”

If Benavidez returns to 175 pounds after the Ramirez fight, then an undisputed clash with Bivol becomes increasingly likely.