Now Ivan Baranchyk is ready to roll.
Baranchyk, the Miami-based former junior welterweight titleholder from Belarus, will fight Jose Zepeda in a 10-round 140-pound bout on July 9 in Las Vegas, ESPN is reporting.
The card must still be approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which gave the go-ahead Wednesday for Top Rank cards scheduled for June 9 and June 11.
The cards will be staged without spectators and under strict regulations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Baranchyk (20-1, 13 KOs) is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Gabriel Bracero in October. He lost his belt to Josh Taylor by a unanimous decision in the semifinals of the World Boxing Super Series in May.
Zepeda (31-2, 25 KOs) defeated Jose Pedraza by a unanimous decision in his most recent bout, in September. Before that, he gave a strong performance against 140-pound titleholder Jose Ramirez, who won a close majority decision in February of last year in Fresno, California, Ramirez’s hometown.
One of Baranchyk’s handlers acknowledged to ESPN that Zepeda is no pushover.
“Fortune favors the bold,” said David McWater, the head of Split-T Management. “We’re going to have to take some chances in July and August because I think there’s going to be outrageous ratings for these fights. Let’s get famous.
“I think the kids that win big fights now will very be high profile.”
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Nevada approves Top Rank cards scheduled for June 9 and June 11