Why Ortiz vs. Ennis Fell Apart: Organizer Reveals the Reason

Turki Alalshikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, shed light on why negotiations for the highly anticipated bout between IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis and WBC interim super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz fell through.

"First of all, Ennis gave us his word. And then, he changed his mind. What can I do about that? I can’t force him.

Ennis doesn’t communicate with me directly. He changed his stance and stopped responding. He doesn’t want to move up to super welterweight, and that’s his choice," Alalshikh stated during The Ariel Helwani Show.

The fight was initially scheduled for February 22 in Saudi Arabia. Ortiz will now face Israil Madrimov, and the full card for the event can be found here.