According to Hearn, the Golden Boy later changed his position, asking for a 60-40 split for Ortiz, with five percent still going to the winner. De La Hoya publicly stated that he would not deviate from those numbers and described Hearn as a “beggar” during negotiations.
That change is important because, according to Hearn, the original terms are already locked.
“We all agreed to the deal,” Hearn said. “Fifty-fifty-five percent to win. Jaron signed. Vergil didn’t.”
Hearn said the winner’s bonus was designed to reward confidence. If a fighter believes he is going to win, the upside is clear. The ideal split is 55-45 for the win. Hearn described it as an obvious solution for a fight that is widely seen as a contest on paper.
He also rejected the idea of pushing the fight to show weakness.
“I’m really nervous,” Hearn said. “Hope to have the best fights.”
De La Hoya countered that he had other options for Ortiz. Some fans read that as too far. If Ennis leaves, Ortiz avoids the blame for the lost fight.
Hearn said he now has to talk to his fighter because the situation has changed.
“We agreed,” he said. “If that deal is no longer available, it’s a different conversation.”
For now, the fight remains unsigned, not because the conditions have not been found, but because the conditions that were previously agreed upon have been reopened. That distinction is important, and does not reflect well on the party requesting to rebook the room after the fact.