Gilberto Ramirez said in the lead-up to his comeback fight against Gabriel Rosado after being outclassed by Dmitry Bivol in November that he was “ready.”
Evidently he wasn’t.
The former 168-pound titleholder, schedueld to face Rosado on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California, failed to make weight on Friday and the 175-pound fight was cancelled, according to promoter Golden Boy.
The co-feature between 140-pounders Joseph Diaz Jr. and Mercito Gesta will now be the main event (DAZN).
Golden Boy didn’t release Ramirez’s weight. However, ESPN reported that he came in at 182.6 before the official weigh-in, a whopping 7.6 over the limit.
Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) was set to fight at 175 for the seventh time.
“Due to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez failing to make the contracted weight, Zurdo vs. Rosado has been canceled,” Golden Boy said in a news release. “We are very disappointed for letting our fans down, and will work with Gabriel Rosado to bring him back to the ring very soon.
“Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. vs. Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta is the new main event for Saturday, March 18.”
Diaz (32-3-1, 15 KOs) is a former 130-pound titleholder but the Angeleno has lost his last two fights, wide decisions against Devin Haney (135) and William Zepeda (140).
Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs) is a former 135-pound title challenger from the Philippines. He’s coming off a unanimous decision victory over Joel Diaz Jr. last April.
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