Key points:
- Jesus Ramos Jr. was hospitalised on Thursday and forced to withdraw Friday from his September 19 fight against Meiirim Nursultanov
- No reason for the hospitalisation has been made public
- The fight will be rescheduled, leaving the WBC to determine its next move for the interim middleweight title
- Nursultanov, the mandatory challenger for nearly three years, remains without his long-awaited title opportunity
Jesus Ramos Jr.’s first defence of his WBC interim middleweight title has fallen through entirely, after the champion was hospitalised on Thursday and pulled from Saturday’s fight against Meiirim Nursultanov the following day.
No details have been released on what led to the hospitalisation, and no new date has been confirmed. Ramos (24-1, 19 KOs) had been building toward the fight as the platform to prove he belonged among the division’s elite, telling reporters earlier in the week that a strong showing would leave Carlos Adames “worried about what I’m going to do” once the full WBC title fight arrived.
The withdrawal leaves Nursultanov (20-0, 11 KOs) waiting even longer for an opportunity he’s held as mandatory challenger since November 2023. The Kazakh contender had framed his three-year layoff as a source of hunger rather than rust heading into the fight, telling The Ring, “I’ve waited a long time for an opportunity like this, and I’m coming to take it.” That wait now continues indefinitely.
The WBC will need to decide how to handle the vacated slot, with the winner of the eventual rematch still in line to face Carlos Adames for the full title. Isaac Cruz’s fight against Nestor Bravo remains the main event of Saturday’s card at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.