Although interim ownership typically provides for clear funding percentages and sanction obligations, financial data has not been disclosed. The title also creates positioning clarity, placing the winner on the path to the WBC title while narrowing the field of available matches.

Ennis said the race was close to completion but admitted execution was up to the promoters. “I have high expectations. I think this fight is going to happen. Everyone is staying tuned and keeping their fingers crossed,” Ennis told Fight Hub TV.

The preference was immediate, he added. Once the document passes regulatory review, the target window will point to early 2026.

Interim Belt Shape Department Order

The proposed contest would have structural implications for the 154-pound squad. Interim status often serves as a mechanism to preserve departmental processes when full ownership availability is limited, and it can compress the timeline for mandatory considerations.

Along this line, other adversaries become secondary unless negotiations reach an impasse. From there, the process will redirect to the next available title holder or approved eliminator.

Ennis left no ambiguity about his long-term plans. “If Virgil is not next, we want any champion or any big name. The 154 class is mine. I am ready to take over the class one by one and prove that I am the best in the world,” he said.

Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) moved to junior middleweight after unifying some of the welterweight title structure and defeated Uisma Lima at 154 pounds in his October debut. Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs) remains at the top of the division and his pressure style puts him in the approval conversation.

In championship boxing, timing often determines opportunity as much as performance. Temporary designations may lack permanence, but they impose order, and once the contractual steps are over, governance often determines the next challenger.