Jose Ramirez’s junior welterweight title defense against Viktor Postol has been rescheduled for May 9 in Fresno, California, ESPN reported Monday.
The fight had been scheduled for Feb. 1 in Haikou, China. But Top Rank was forced to move the bout out of China because of coronavirus, a respiratory infection that has led to 1,018 deaths, according to latest news reports.
Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) was scheduled to leave for China on Jan. 23, the day it was decided that the bout against Postol (31-2, 12 KOs), a challenger from the Ukraine, would have to be re-scheduled.
The mandatory bout for two of Ramirez’s 140-pound belts is now scheduled for the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Ramirez’s hometown, according to ESPN, which will televise the fight.