Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has moved quickly to reschedule junior welterweight world titleholder Jose Ramirez.
He will make his first title defense against an opponent to be determined on Sept. 14 in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, Arum told ESPN on Monday.
“We’re booked up through August so he’ll be going in September,” Arum said. “We’re going to do it the night before the Canelo Alvarez-[Gennady] Golovkin rematch. My guys are looking for an appropriate opponent and working on a couple of possibilities, but we’re going to Fresno.”
Ramirez, 25, of Avenal, California, won a vacant 140-pound world title by lopsided decision against Amir Imam on March 17 and was scheduled to make his first defense against Danny O’Connor before a home region crowd at the Save Mart Center on ESPN on Saturday night.
However, the fight was canceled on Friday before the weigh-in because O’Connor (30-3, 11 KOs), 33, of Framingham, Massachusetts, was so badly dehydrated — to the point where one of his kidneys shut down — and incoherent from trying to make the 140-pound division weight limit for what would have been his first opportunity to win a world title, that he had to be rushed to Fresno Community Regional Medical Center. O’Connor was admitted and stayed overnight to rehydrate and get his kidney working again before he was released on Saturday.
The card went on Saturday night with the original co-feature being moved into the main event position as welterweight contender “The Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas won a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Abreu.
Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs) was on hand and very disappointed he did not get a chance to fight in what would have been his first bout under the guidance of new trainer Robert Garcia. But he held no grudge toward O’Connor.
“I wish him a speedy recovery,” Ramirez said. “He is a father. He does have a wife. He is a husband. I hope he recovers from this. It’s a learning experience for me. I hope to bring another fight here in the near future. I’m going to take one week off and go back to another eight weeks of training.”