Oscar De La Hoya says he had a December DAZN pay-per-view teed up - Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Xander Zayas in Las Vegas or Southern California, until talks fell apart. Mid-round at Pebble Beach, the Golden Boy boss jumped on Instagram to vent, accusing the newly crowned WBO 154lbs titlist of balking at a “silver-platter” matchup and needling Top Rank’s post-ESPN limbo with a barbed “Where are you gonna fight, OnlyFans?” quip.
Both camps had explored the bout, but Zayas posted snippets of a Carl Moretti–Eric Gomez exchange and criticized the proposal, drawing swift blowback. De La Hoya countered that the terms - December date, PPV slot, and an even revenue split - should have made the Mexico-Puerto Rico showcase a no-brainer. “Boxing is stale when fighters don’t want to fight each other,” he said. “Vergil Ortiz, Xander Zayas. Let’s do it.”
Watch Ortiz Jr. vs. Madrimov highlights: Watch
The timing was ideal for Ortiz. The WBC interim titleholder can’t be elevated with Sebastian Fundora set to defend the full belt against Keith Thurman on October 25, so he pivoted to Zayas for a full strap. Ortiz is coming off a February 22 decision over Israil Madrimov - after a Fight of the Year candidate against Serhii Bohachuk last August - while Zayas lifted the WBO crown on July 26 in the final Top Rank on ESPN show.
For now, Ortiz may look elsewhere while Zayas weighs options for a December return.
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