Junior welterweight world titlist Jose Ramirez got a new fight date on Monday, and on Tuesday, he got his opponent — undefeated contender Antonio Orozco — in a surprising and very quick deal made between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions.
Ramirez and Orozco will meet on Sept. 14 at the Save Mart Center in Ramirez’s home region of Fresno, California, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.
The fight will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card the night before the biggest fight of the year between Golden Boy star Canelo Alvarez and unified middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin.
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 at the Save Mart Center on ESPN on Saturday night.
However, the fight was canceled on Friday before the weigh-in because O’Connor was so badly dehydrated — to the point that 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.
On Monday, Top Rank chairman said Ramirez would be rescheduled for Sept. 14, and his staff got to work on the opponent.
“When I got home from Fresno on Monday, I reached out to [Golden Boy president] Eric Gomez, and he texted me back saying he liked the fight, let’s speak. We spoke about the offer on Monday and [on Tuesday] we were able to close the deal. We’ve agreed to the terms, and the contracts went out [Tuesday night].
“I think stylistically, it’s a terrific fight. I know fighters fight in a ring, but why not just get a phone booth? This is a real fight with two guys from California fighting in California, and everybody is pumped up for it.”
The fight will be the first for Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs) with new head trainer Robert Garcia, who he had trained with for the canceled O’Connor bout.
Orozco (27-0, 17 KOs), 30, of San Diego, was due to headline the Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN card against Pablo Cesar Cano on Aug. 3 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but Golden Boy pulled him out of the fight when the world title opportunity came up.
“It’s time. Orozco is ready,” Gomez told ESPN.
Orozco has been a leading contender for the past few years in the 140-pound division, but he has had major issues making weight. Twice in 2017, he badly missed weight, forcing televised fights to be canceled.
Moretti said there is a weight penalty in the contract, “But I’ve been assured by Eric, and Eric has been assured by [Orozco manager] Frank Espinoza that there will be no issues making weight for this fight. They have plenty of time until Sept. 14.”
The bout also is the second major fight to be made between longtime rivals Top Rank and Golden Boy in recent months.
The rivalry has become less intense now that they no longer are competing for HBO’s money, with Top Rank entrenched at ESPN with its year-old deal. In May, the companies put together the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jorge Linares lightweight world title fight, and now they have this fight one division above lightweight.
“Eric and I have known each for a long time. We’re professionals,” Moretti said. “We know how to do fights. We’re not doing open-heart surgery. There’s an open line of communication between Golden Boy and Top Rank, and when prospective fights come up, either side reaches out to see if it can be made. What a novel idea.”