While the main event of ESPN's September 14 Top Rank card from Fresno, California will be a WBC junior welterweight title fight, the co-main event could potentially create another challenger for the title.
Top Rank announced former lightweight world champion Antonio DeMarco will fight Maxim Dadashev in a NABF junior welterweight title bout. That fight will be the co-main event fight for Jose Ramirez's WBC title defense against undefeated Antonio Orozco.
DeMarco is looking to continue his two-fight win streak with this fight against Dadashev. A win over him could catapult DeMarco to the top 10 in the WBC rankings as DeMarco is currently ranked No. 11. DeMarco is a former WBC lightweight champion who had a three-fight losing streak from 2014 to 2015 that saw him lose to Jessie Vargas, Rances Barthelemy and Omar Figueroa Jr. The 32-year-old DeMarco had not fought in all of 2016, bouncing back in 2017 with two wins in his two fights last year.
Dadashev, ranked No. 14 in the WBC rankings, has only been boxing as a pro since 2016. The 27-year-old undefeated Russian won the NABF title with a 10th round stoppage win over Darleys Perez, putting him in the WBC rankings. The winner of Dadashev vs. DeMarco could be on the short list of fighters who could chalenge for the WBC title at 140 pounds as both mandatory challenger Josh Taylor and interim champion Regis Prograis are competing in the World Boxing Super Series and will have their respective quarterfinal fights later this year.
Several undercard fights have also been announced with the majority of the full card being streamed exclusively on the ESPN+ card. Headlining the ESPN+ portion of the card is a vacant USBA super featherweight title bout between Jamel Herring and once-beaten John Vincent Moralde. Unbeaten Japanese boxer Hiroki Okada, making his Top Rank Boxing debut, will be making his debut against Cristian Coria. Former WBA interim super featherweight titleholder Bryan Vazquez will fight Carlos Cardenas.
Below is the current full card for the September 14 card:
- Jose Ramirez (c) vs. Antonio Orozco: WBC Junior Welterweight Title
- Maxim Dadashev (c) vs. Antonio DeMarco: NABF Junior Welterweight Title
- Jamel Herring vs. John Vincent Moralde: Vacant USBA Super Featherweight Title
- Alexander Besputin vs. Alan Sanchez
- Hiroki Okada vs. Cristian Coria
- Bryan Vazquez vs. Carlos Cardenas
- Isidro Ochoa vs. Victor Morales Jr.
- Santos Ortega vs. Sebastian Baltazar
- Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Roger Gutierrez
- Ruben Rodriguez vs. TBA
The main card will be televised on ESPN starting at 10 p.m. ET and it will take place at the Save Mart Center from Fresno, California, one day before the September 15 HBO pay-per-view rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.