A Nevada judge on Friday granted Golden Boy Promotions’ emergency motion for a temporary restraining order against Ortiz. The order prevents Ortiz from entering into contracts with third parties for his fight against Ennis until further order of the court.
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It emerged on Monday that the undefeated duo of Ennis and Ortiz were negotiating for a fight in April, with the possibility of closing a deal this week. The talks excluded Golden Boy, who argues that he still has an exclusive promotional agreement with Ortiz.
Ortiz signed a three-year contract with Golden Boy in May 2024. Ortiz’s lawyers claim that under the agreement, Ortiz can terminate his contract with Golden Boy if the promoter no longer has an active broadcast agreement with DAZN and has not secured an exclusive distribution agreement with an alternative broadcaster.
Golden Boy’s contract with DAZN ended on December 31 and Ortiz therefore exercised his right to terminate the agreement on January 8. Golden Boy’s lawyers argue that Ortiz is not yet a free agent because, although his deal with DAZN has not been renewed, Golden Boy is still in negotiations for a new media rights deal with the broadcaster. The parties are even working together on a possible March 14 show.
Ortiz filed a legal challenge against Golden Boy on January 16. Part of that lawsuit asked a Nevada court, by way of declaratory relief, to confirm that his contract with Golden Boy had been terminated.
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Although Ortiz and Golden Boy’s contract is in dispute, talks continued between Ennis and Ortiz. Golden Boy says he learned from three different people affiliated with the boxing industry last weekend that Ortiz is about to execute a third-party deal for a fight against Ennis. The promoter claims that he was not involved in those negotiations and did not authorize Ortiz to participate in these conversations, resulting in a violation of their promotional agreement.
Golden Boy says Tom Brown of TGB Promotions, the promoter of the PBC events, informed them on February 11 that Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing was planning the Ortiz-Ennis fight for April 18 in Las Vegas. After hearing that, Golden Boy filed for an emergency temporary restraining order against Ennis on February 11.
Golden Boy argues that if Ortiz were to enter into a contract with a third party for the fight in Ennis this week, it would cause irreparable harm to the company.
“If Ortiz reaches a third-party agreement for the fight in Ennis, monetary damages could not remedy Golden Boy’s loss of broadcast relationships, loss of promotional opportunities, loss of goodwill and loss of contractual influence, which are fundamental to Golden Boy’s business as a promoter.
“Additionally, Golden Boy’s negotiations with the sports streaming service, DAZN, for a new 2026-27 broadcast deal have stalled pending resolution of the dispute with Ortiz. Ortiz’s upcoming third-party deal for the Ennis fight would likely lead DAZN to end its relationship with Golden Boy and cancel its negotiations with Golden Boy for a 2026-27 broadcast deal.”
As a result of Golden Boy’s arguments, Judge Cristina D. Silva decided to grant Golden Boy a temporary restraining order on Friday. A hearing has been set for Feb. 20 on the motion.