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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Jose Ramirez will fight Lances Barthelemy on April 27 in Fresno, Calif., and Vergil Ortiz Jr. will face Thomas Delhomme in a DAZN co-feature, officials told ESPN on Sunday.
The event will mark Ramirez's Golden Boy debut after the former junior welterweight champion parted ways with his longtime promoter Top Rank.
Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) is ESPN's No. 7 boxer at 140 pounds. The Olympian made four successful title defenses and unified the belts before dropping a decision to Josh Taylor in an undisputed championship fight in May 2021.
Ramirez, 31, has only appeared twice since his only professional loss. His most recent victory was an 11th round KO of Richard Commey in March 2023. Ramirez's fight against Barthélemy will be his 11th in his hometown of Fresno, including his last two fights.
Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KOs) is a former two-division champion. The 37-year-old Cuban fighter held titles at 130 and 135 pounds, but has not competed in a title fight since losing a decision to Kirill Relik in 2018.
Barthelemy last competed in May, defeating Omar Juarez by majority decision. This performance followed a sixth-round TKO loss to Gary Antuan Russell in July 2022.
Ortiz (20-0, 20 KOs) is ranked No. 7 on ESPN junior middleweight. The 25-year-old from Dallas is coming off a 17-month layoff with a first-round TKO win over Fredrick Lawson in January. The fight was Ortiz's first at 154 pounds.
Since March 2022, Ortiz has withdrawn from three matches due to health issues related to rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a condition that occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood. Ortiz was rated No. 3 at 147 pounds by ESPN when he was scheduled to face Eimantas Stanionis last year. The game was postponed three times. The first time was after Stanionis underwent an emergency appendectomy, and the second time was due to recurrence of Ortiz's rhabdomyolysis.
Ortiz will be fighting for the second time in four months, and the power puncher could challenge for his first world title later this year. Ortiz is the leading contender for the WBA title held by Israil Madrimov.
Delhomme (25-6-1, 16 KOs) has lost three straight and hasn't fought since October 2021, when he lost by first-round knockout to rising star Jaron Ennis.
Overall, Delorme has won only one of their last six matches. The 34-year-old Puerto Rican fighter will be stepping into the ring after a career-long 30-month layoff.
