Fresno fans get a treat: Jose Ramirez title defense originally set for China gets a new home

World boxing champion Jose Ramirez’s next bout will be at the Save Mart Center on May 9.

It’s the new date and venue for the Avenal native’ s WBC/WBO super lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger and former world champion Viktor Postol.

They were set to meet Feb. 1 in China before coronavirus fears caused a postponement. The coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It is a rapidly evolving disease.

The Saturday night fight is the main event on an ESPN card beginning at 7 p.m. with undercard bouts scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

Tickets priced at $206, $131, $96, $66 and $31 go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Save Mart Center box office, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Promoter Bob Arum noted that the unexpected venue change brings Ramirez back to his roots, but added, “This could be his last fight in Fresno for a long time.”

Ramirez (25-0, 17 knockouts) has drawn a total of 65,794 fans in five main-event bouts at the Save Mart Center, according to his adviser, Rick Mirigian. In his last fight there, a title defense in February 2019 against Jose Zepeda, Ramirez drew a career-high 14,034.

Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) has spent the majority of his 12-year career as a super lightweight, Mirigian said.

The fight night is a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with an auction for Ramirez’s fight night outfit and a pair of tickets for front-row seats next to Arum. Before the main event, the crowd will be asked to hold up “KO LLS” signs.

This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 4:00 PM.