By Ryan Burton
In a recent article on BoxingScene.com, Jake Donovan reported that a purse bid had been avoided and that Vasiliy Lomachenko would defend his WBA/WBO lightweight titles against his WBA mandatory challenger Anthony Crolla.
The fight will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will stream live on ESPN+.
Multiple sources have also confirmed to BoxingScene.com that former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (39-0) will make his light heavyweight debut in the co-feature bout that will be scheduled for 10 rounds against an opponent to be determined.
Ramirez made history in 2016 when he shutout Arthur Abraham to become the first Mexican to win a world title in the super middleweight division. He defended his title 5 times with his last defense taking place in December when he defeated Jesse Hart via majority decision in Texas.
Making the 168 pound weight limit was becoming extremely difficult for the nearly 6'3" Ramirez and he announced after his rematch against Hart that he was moving up.
Ramirez also parted ways with his long time manager/trainer duo of Jesus and Hector Zapari shortly after that fight. He is expected to announce his new trainer in the next few days.
If everything goes well after his next fight, Ramirez wants to face one of Top Rank's light heavyweight champions immediately after. Like Ramirez, WBO heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (who is promoted by Main Events), WBC kingpin Oleksandr Gvozdyk and IBF titleholder Artur Beterbiev all fight under the Top Rank banner.
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