Two previously brewing fights are set to share a very interesting-looking card, as Mike Coppinger reports that DAZN will host a July 9th doubleheader featuring Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Sullivan Barrera and Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Javier Fortuna.
Ramirez (41-0, 27 KO) will be making his first appearance since signing with Golden Boy this past February and his third since vacating the WBO super middleweight title to campaign at 175. Though aging and out of action for nearly two years, durable contender Barrera (22-3, 14 KO) figures to be a far stouter test than the likes of Tommy Karpency and Alfonso Lopez.
Should “Zurdo” claim his expected victory, he’s presumably in line to challenge WBA champ Dmitry Bivol later this year.
Diaz (31-1-1, 15 KO), who lost his IBF super featherweight title on the scale before a February draw with Shavkat Rakhimov, tossed his hat in the ring when Ryan Garcia withdrew from his spot against Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KO) on this same card. This is, as Scott pointed out, a really enticing fight; both men have something to prove, Diaz after missing weight and Fortuna after a lengthy stretch on the sidelines. If they come out hot, it’ll be fireworks.