Jose Zepeda ordered to face Regis Prograis for WBC super lightweight title

Former unified world super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez was ready to fight for the WBC title vacated by Scotland's Josh Taylor, but his wedding to girlfriend Marisol has put these plans on hold.

The Mexican-American fighter sent the WBC a letter in which he revealed that his October wedding would prevent him from keeping his full focus on the fight that had been ordered with Jose Zepeda, so it was then decided that Zepeda will now face Regis Prograis for the vacant title and the winner would be obliged to face Ramirez.

Zepeda, 33, with a record of 35-2, 27 KOs, will be getting his third shot at a world title. In 2015 he lost in Manchester to Terry Flanagan due to an injury in the second round which prevented him from continuing, and then four years later he lost to Ramirez via a majority decision on the judges' scorecards. 

Zepeda is currently on a five-fight winning streak which includes a fifth-round knockout over former champion Ivan Baranchyk in one of the best fights of 2020.

Meanwhile, two-time former world champion Prograis reached the final of the World Boxing Super Series tournament in April 2019, but lost to Taylor in a unification clash.

Prograis was one of the fighters who made himself heard when the Ramirez-Zepeda bout was announced, and expressed his annoyance at being overlooked, but he is now ready to prove why he's the best at 140lbs. 

"I'm more than happy to get a title shot again. My goal is to become a two-time world champion and it couldn't come at a better time. I want to be the best 140-pound fighter on the planet again. And besides, Zepeda is a real killer in the division, so this is a huge fight, not only for the division, but for boxing," Prograis told ESPN.

Prograis and Zepeda have until August 30 to reach a contract agreement, otherwise the WBC will hold a purse bid for the fight.