The present should go on.
After the announcement relating to the cancellation of the Janibek Alimkhanuly-Andrei Mikhailovich struggle, the co-main occasion bout between light-weight contender Raymond Muratalla and Tevin Farmer on Saturday evening was elevated to primary occasion standing.
The ten-round bout will headline a High Rank card that may start streaming reside on ESPN+ (6:50 p.m. ET/ 3:50 p.m. PT).
At Friday’s weigh-in, Muratalla weighed in at 134.1 kilos. Farmer got here in at 134.7 kilos.
Alimkhanuly, rated No. 1 by The Ring at 160 kilos, pulled out of the IBF/ WBO unified world middleweight title struggle early Friday morning after he was taken to the hospital as a result of a extreme case of dehydration.
Promoter Bob Arum hopes for a speedy restoration for Alimkhanuly, however is keen to showcase High Rank expertise Saturday evening.
“He needed to go to the hospital as a result of he collapsed attempting to make weight,” Arum informed The Ring after the weigh-in Friday. “It’s not the primary time I’ve seen that occur. We’ve needed to cancel primary occasions earlier than. However as soon as that occurs, as a result of our playing cards are so loaded, we don’t cancel the present. As a result of that may imply, right here on this case, 16 children who’ve been working their tail off preparing for tomorrow evening wouldn’t be capable to present their expertise.
“So that you go forward, you don’t need to idiot the general public, you inform the general public they’re entitled to a refund, and also you go on with the present. I believe that’s the suitable solution to deal with a foul state of affairs.”
Muratalla (20-0, 16 knockouts), who resides in Fontana, California, final fought on March 29, defeating fringe contender Xolisani Ndongeni by unanimous determination. The win over Ndongeni befell virtually 5 months after Muratalla stopped hard-hitting Diego Torres in a conflict of unbeaten.
The 27-year-old is rated No. 6 by The Ring at 135 kilos and is skilled by Robert Garcia.
Farmer (33-5-1, 8 KOs) is a former IBF world junior light-weight titleholder, who resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He would lose the IBF title to Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz by determination in January 2020.
Because the Diaz struggle, the 33-year-old has gained his final three fights in a row.
In featherweight motion, Ruben Villa (22-1, 7 KOs) of Salinas, California will face fringe contender Sulaiman Segawa (16-4-1, 6 KOs) of Kampala, Uganda in a 10-round bout.
Villa weighed in at 125.5 kilos. Segawa got here in at 122.6 kilos.
The 27-year-old Villa is rated No. 10 by The Ring at 126 kilos, and can also be ranked No. 1 by the WBC.
Junior light-weight prospect Jonathan Lopez (15-0, 11 KOs) of Orlando, Florida will sq. off in opposition to Venezuela’s Leonardo Padilla (23-5-1, 16 KOs) in an eight-round bout.
Lopez is skilled by Eddy Reynoso, who additionally trains Ring Journal tremendous middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has lined boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He could be reached at [email protected]