Per Darshan Desai and Jake Donovan, Golden Boy Promotions scored an early win in its legal battle with Vergil Ortiz Jr yesterday when Judge Cristina Silva blocked Ortiz from negotiating with other promoters and sent the case to arbitration.
Ortiz (24-0, 22 KO) filed suit this past January, claiming that GBP was violating a Professional Rights Agreement that was supposed to terminate upon Golden Boy’s parting with DAZN. GBP counter-sued and successfully argued for a temporary restraining order (TRO),
a sort of legal pause button meant to preserve the status quo while the presiding judge(s) determine whether to apply a more permanent injunction. Upon the TRO’s expiration, Ortiz and his team filed an emergency motion to continue negotiations with Matchroom and DAZN for a fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis while the legal battle played out, but have now been shot down.
Donovan presents a detailed and well-researched breakdown of the ruling, which takes the Ennis fight off the table for the foreseeable future. As with so many legal cases, it partly came down to wording.
Section 10(g) of Ortiz’s contract calls for termination of said agreement if Golden Boy’s distribution relationship with DAZN terminates, providing in relevant part as follows:
- Promoter’s distribution relationship with DAZN is a material incentive for Boxer to enter into this Agreement. In the event that Promoter’s distribution relationship with DAZN terminates, for any reason, and Promoter does not have an agreement in principle in place for an exclusive distribution relationship with an alternative broadcaster, then Boxer shall have the right to terminate this Agreement.
Where Golden Boy gained its victory is in the wording of that clause. Ortiz’s team mistook the expiration of the deal, rather than taking note of the specific wording – relationship, not contract.
Golden Boy pointed to its two dates on the calendar post-contract – its January 16 show and the upcoming March 14 DAZN show from Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Odds are this is going to get significantly messier as time goes by. Regardless of who triumphs, I just hope it doesn’t eat up too much of Ortiz’s prime.
