Ramirez-Postol postponed again due to COVID-19
With the nation trying to control the COVID-19 pandemic, WBC/WBO super lightweight world champion Jose Ramirez’s scheduled May 9 title defense against Viktor Postol at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., has been postponed once again.
The rescheduled bout will take place at Save Mart Center, and tickets for the May 9 event will be valid for the rescheduled date. Ramirez and Postol were originally scheduled to fight Feb. 2 in China (Feb. 1 in the U.S), but when COVID-19 escalated in China, the bout was moved stateside.
The pandemic has expanded stateside in the U.S. to the point that all live boxing events have been scrapped thru May so much so that there is a stay-at-home order in the State of California where this fight was slated to take place.
🥊 JUST ANNOUNCED: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Super Lightweight title bout between unified WBC/WBO champ @RAMIREZBOXING and @IcemanPostol, scheduled for May 9, has been postponed. pic.twitter.com/zSSgpG90Fg
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 31, 2020
“I feel terribly for Jose and Viktor, who have entered two training camps, only to see the fight postponed both times,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “They are consummate professionals, and they will give the great Fresno fans a memorable fight whenever it occurs. We owe it to Jose and Viktor to make this fight happen as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs), from Avenal, Calif., is one of two unified junior welterweight champions. He won the WBC world title in March 2018, prevailing via 12-round shootout against Amir Imam in New York City. He defended that belt twice at the Save Mart Center in Fresno before stepping up to fight Hooker.
Said Ramirez: “I’m focused and will stay training and ready. Our nation’s safety must come first. We will all get through this.”
Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) is 3-1 since the Crawford loss in 2016, dropping a 2018 decision to Josh Taylor, who is now the division’s other unified champion. He earned the WBC’s mandatory shot at Ramirez in April with a unanimous decision over Mohamed Mimoune.
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