“There won’t be many laughs this week because I never think it’s funny when a fighter tries to knock me out,” said De La Hoya. “But the decision is there and Virgil Ortiz’s plan to break his contract with Golden Boy Promotions was dismissed by a federal judge in Nevada.”
The promoter said the breakdown surprised him after what he described as a good relationship that continued through Ortiz’s last fight in November.
“I haven’t heard from Virgil Ortiz since he fought in November where he praised me for being a top-class guy and a top-class promoter,” said De La Hoya.
In the video, De La Hoya also played a clip from a previous interview where Ortiz had spoken positively about their partnership.
“He’s probably one of the most successful promoters in the history of sports. And he’s always been good to me. I have nothing bad to say about him,” Ortiz said in a previous taping.
De La Hoya said the situation suddenly changed when Ortiz filed a lawsuit in January seeking to be released from his promotional contract.
“So, everything was good, right? And his dad even sent me this message over the holidays,” said De La Hoya. “After that, out of the blue, Virgil sued us in January to get out of his contract.”
The Golden Boy founder directed most of his criticism at Ortiz’s manager, Rick Merigian, whom he accused of pushing for legal action.
“So, who was in charge of this case? The worst manager in boxing, Rick Merigian,” said De La Hoya.
De La Hoya said Merigian pushed for a higher payout for a potential fight involving Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
“Rick demanded that Virgil be paid three times what we are responsible for paying Virgil for the boot fight,” said De La Hoya. “We were ready to fight and I wanted to get him as much money as possible.”
He said the dispute has now halted Ortiz’s career while the case continues through legal channels.
“And now, because of his bad advice, Virgil is sidelined, and he’s going to waste a lot of money and time in arbitration, and that could take years,” said De La Hoya.
Despite being criticized, De La Hoya said he still believes that Ortiz can fix the relationship if he changes the people around him.
“Virgil, I still want to believe you’re a good guy, and you got the worst advice in the world,” said De La Hoya.
The promoter also referred to past instances where Golden Boy continued to support Ortiz despite the distraction surrounding scheduled fights.
“Remember when we were in Texas and I sent President Eric Gomez to stay with you while you and your father were crying about being out of the war for a week and this was the second time it happened,” said De La Hoya. “And we still believed in you.”
He said Golden Boy even offered financial help at the time.
“I kindly gave you $200,000. Have you forgotten about that? These are the facts, folks.”
De La Hoya also criticized Ortiz’s father, detailing an alleged altercation that took place before Ortiz’s November fight.
“Here’s a clip from the night before Virgil’s last fight in November 2025, where his father had a fist fight, and my Golden Boy crew had to break it up as he rolled around the hotel lobby naked,” said De La Hoya.
The dispute is now headed for mediation, although De La Hoya has warned that the legal process could leave Ortiz out of a job if the situation continues.
“You will continue to collect debts and burn money,” said De La Hoya. “He didn’t tell Rick that you can stay on the shelf for years like Mike Garcia did.”
Even after the fight, De La Hoya said he still wants the striker’s career to be successful.
“Even though you tried to hurt me, I still want the best for all my players, and I will do so,” he said.
