Nunez-Cherry off, De Gracia-Ramirez added to Showtime card

Badlefthook.com

Saturday’s Showtime card has a change, as the planned super featherweight eliminator between Ricardo Nunez and Edner Cherry is off, with Cherry forced to withdraw due to a medical issue.

But the show will go on with three fights as planned, as a featherweight bout between Panama’s Bryan De Gracia and Mexico’s Eduardo Ramirez is now set to serve as the televised opener from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

The winner of De Gracia-Ramirez will be in line for a shot at WBA “world” featherweight champion Can Xu.

De Gracia (24-1-1, 20 KO) will be making his U.S. debut. The 25-year-old, nicknamed “La Roca,” has won four straight fights, all by stoppage, following a 2017 loss to countryman Jorge Sanchez.

The 26-year-old Ramirez (21-1-3, 8 KO), nicknamed “Zurdito,” is probably best known for his Dec. 2017 defeat against Lee Selby, then the IBF featherweight champion. He fought just once in 2018, beating a journeyman via first round stoppage on Nov. 30. Ramirez also fought Leduan Barthelemy to a draw in Sept. 2017.

The show is headlined by Erislandy Lara challenging WBA “world” junior middleweight titleholder Brian Castano, with heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz returning in the co-feature against Christian Hammer.