Vergil Ortiz Jr sues Golden Boy in dispute tied to stalled Jaron Ennis talks
Vergil Ortiz Jr has filed a federal lawsuit against Golden Boy Promotions, seeking to end his relationship with Oscar De La Hoya’s company amid stalled negotiations for what he views as a career-defining fight against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.Ortiz, the unbeaten World Boxing Council interim junior middleweight champion, filed the complaint on Thursday in US district court in Nevada, asking a judge to confirm that his promotional agreement with Golden Boy has been terminated and alleging that the promoter breached the contract and interfered with his earning potential.Golden Boy has promoted the Texan since his professional debut in 2016 and signed him to a new three-year deal in May 2024.Ortiz’s lawsuit, a copy of which has been obtained by the Guardian, argues that the agreement allowed him to walk away if Golden Boy’s broadcast partnership with Dazn ended – a condition he says was triggered when the promoter’s deal with the streamer expired on 31 December.According to the complaint, Ortiz formally exercised his right to terminate the agreement on 8 January.
Golden Boy has acknowledged that its Dazn deal concluded at the end of the year but maintains that Ortiz remains under contract because the promoter has been actively negotiating a renewal with Dazn covering 2026 and 2027,Ortiz disputes that position, arguing that ongoing negotiations and exchanged drafts do not constitute a binding agreement and that the contract language requires a completed deal, not “an agreement to agree”,The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief to clarify the 27-year-old Ortiz’s contractual status, with his attorneys arguing that uncertainty is harming the prime years of his career as he looks to secure high-profile fights,Ortiz’s filing goes beyond the termination clause, alleging that Golden Boy breached the agreement well before the split,Central to those claims are negotiations – or lack thereof – for a bout with Ennis, one of the most hotly anticipated matchups in boxing.
Ortiz and Ennis both hold interim championships at 154lb, and the fight is widely viewed as a natural step toward a unification bout for the undisputed title,Ortiz alleges he instructed Golden Boy to work with Ennis’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, but that Golden Boy failed to act in good faith,The complaint claims De La Hoya’s strained relationships with rival promoters and Saudi boxing power broker Turki al-Sheikh undercut opportunities to stage the fight, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s recent role in financing marquee events,The lawsuit also alleges Golden Boy violated a contractual requirement to present Ortiz with at least three opponent options for each bout, instead offering a single Ennis proposal and threatening to sideline him if he declined,Ortiz further claims Golden Boy failed to disclose written documents generated during meetings involving Golden Boy, Matchroom and Dazn that related to the Ennis fight.
Following Ortiz’s attempt to terminate the agreement, the complaint alleges Golden Boy continued to publicly assert control over his career, setting negotiation terms and deadlines without authorization.Ortiz argues that those actions wrought confusion within the industry and interfered with his ability to negotiate independently with other promoters.Golden Boy disputed Ortiz’s claims in a statement, saying it intends to fight the lawsuit.“We are aware of the lawsuit,” a spokesperson said.“Unfortunately, Vergil is getting bad advice from his lawyer and manager who have repeatedly violated the contract.
We will aggressively defend this lawsuit and enforce our rights.We are confident a judge will agree that our contract is valid and Vergil and his team are in breach.”Ortiz is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that Golden Boy’s conduct cost him millions in fight purses, sponsorships and related earnings.The lawsuit adds Ortiz to a growing list of elite fighters who have taken Golden Boy to court over contractual disputes, including Canelo Álvarez, whom Ortiz’s attorney Gregory Smith previously represented in his successful effort to exit a promotional deal with De La Hoya’s company.
BP accused of ‘insidious’ influence on UK education through Science Museum links
Campaigners have accused BP of having an insidious influence over the teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) in the UK through its relationship with the Science Museum.Documents obtained under freedom of information legislation show how the company funded a research project that led to the creation of the Science Museum Group academy – its teacher and educator training programme – which BP sponsors and which has run more than 500 courses, for more than 5,000 teachers.Campaigners say the documents reveal the extent of control the company had over the research project, called Enterprising Science. The contract setting out the collaboration states that major decisions would not be “validly passed … unless the representative of BP votes in its favour”.Chris Garrard of the campaign group Culture Unstained said: “BP’s toxic influence over young people’s learning is calculated and insidious
South East Water boss lasting weeks in post would be a surprise | Nils Pratley
Can David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, stay in his job long enough to bag a £400,000 bonus for turning up to work? With four and a half years to go, one can’t say his chances of landing the retention payment – or “service award” – are good. In fact, it will be surprising if he’s still infuriating the residents of Tunbridge Wells four and a half weeks from now.In the latest episode of this long-running double saga of outages that has left thousands of households in Kent and Sussex without running water for days, Ofwat has opened a first-of-its-kind investigation into whether South East complied with its obligation to provide “high standards of customer service and support”. That comes a day after Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, called for the regulator to review the company’s operating licence.Meanwhile, even the company’s shareholders, who normally shun the spotlight on these occasions, are spluttering into their bottled water
UK economy beats forecasts with 0.3% growth in November; Ofwat investigating South East Water over outages – as it happened
Newsflash: The UK economy has returned to growth, and more vigorously than expected.UK GDP expanded by 0.3% in November, new data from the Office for National Statistics shows, after shrinking a little in October.That’s faster than expected; City economists had expected growth of just 0.1%In another boost, September’s growth figures have been revised higher, showing that the economy didn’t shrink that month after all
South East Water boss in line for £400,000 bonus despite outages
The boss of the company that has left thousands of households in south-east England without water for days is in line for a £400,000 long-term bonus regardless of his performance, if he resists calls for him to resign over the outages.David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, is to receive the payout if he stays on until July 2030.Hinton is facing calls to give up his right to the previously unreported “service award”. The payment, which was disclosed in the company’s annual report, is not performance-related, meaning that as long as he remains, Hinton will receive it whatever the company’s record on water supplies or pollution.South East Water has faced immense pressure after 30,000 households in Kent and East and West Sussex endured days of water supply failures in November and again in January
New York bakery staff push for union, claiming they were forced to bake for Israeli fundraisers
Workers at popular New York City bakery chain Breads Bakery announced a move to unionize, claiming it has “underpaid, undervalued, disrespected, discriminated against, intimidated and hurt” staff, as well as supported “the genocide happening in Palestine”.The company, which has ties to Israel, expressed concern that “divisive political issues” had been introduced into its stores. “We make babka; we don’t engage in politics,” a spokesperson said.But staff involved in the unionization drive claimed that employees were forced by the chain to create products for fundraisers for Israeli organizations, and unable to decline.The union, Breaking Breads, claims that more than 30% of the chain’s 275 workers across New York City had signed union authorization cards, seeking to unionize with United Auto Workers Local 2179 and pushing for better pay, improvements to working conditions such as the replacement of broken equipment, and respect on the job
Growth figures give boost to Reeves – but it’s too early to get carried away
At the end of last year, Rachel Reeves was under fire for the impact of budget speculation on Britain’s economy. All of the noise about fiscal holes, tax increases and spending cuts before her late November budget was having a real-world effect on the spending decisions of households and businesses.The latest official figures will therefore come as a boost for the chancellor. Britain’s economy grew more strongly than expected in November, up 0.3%, despite the fog of uncertainty in the lead up to her critical tax and spending speech at the end of the month
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