PBC’s Feb. 27 card on FOX is official and finalized, with former super middleweight titlist Anthony Dirrell returning in the main event, and prospects Jesus Ramos and Vito Mielnicki Jr in undercard bouts.
The show will be running head-to-head with Canelo Alvarez’s return on DAZN, so frankly it’s going to fly way under the radar, and also frankly, it’s a card that was always going to kind of fly under the radar.
The 36-year-old Dirrell (33-2-1, 24 KO) will be fighting for the first time since his Sept. 2019 loss to David Benavidez, and on paper it’s a tune-up type of return, as he’ll be taking on 26-year-old Kyrone Davis (15-2, 6 KO), whose biggest fights have been losses to Junior Castillo in 2016 and Patrick Day in 2018. He does have a solid win over the tough Marcos Hernandez from 2017, but Dirrell will be a huge favorite here.
“I feel great, camp has been great and it feels good to get back in the ring with everything that’s been going on in the world,” said Dirrell. “Kyrone Davis has fought some good guys but with me being me, he’s biting off a little more than he chew. I’m not playing, I’m going to make a statement.”
“I’ve worked extremely hard and I’m thankful for the opportunity and plan to take full advantage of it,’’ Davis said. “It’s my turn and you’re going to see that.”
The 19-year-old Ramos (14-0, 13 KO) is a welterweight prospect PBC are excited about, and he’s looked formidable so far. He’s the nephew of Abel Ramos, and featured on the Sept. 2020 FOX card where Abel lost to Yordenis Ugas. This time out, he’ll take his next step against Jesus Bojorquez (24-2, 18 KO), a 33-year-old from Mexico who doesn’t have much of real note on his record. That fight will be set for 10 rounds.
“I’m very excited to be back in the ring, just two months after my last fight,” said Ramos. “I want to stay active this year, and I can’t wait to kick off 2021 with another solid performance.”
“I know Ramos is a tough young boxer and he’s been on a hot streak. But I’ve been on a hot streak too and my experience will be the deciding factor,’’ said Bojorquez. “I’m looking forward to going against him in an exciting fight. I expect it will be a tough fight but I’m ready for anything that he can come with.’’
The even younger 18-year-old Mielnicki (7-0, 4 KO) will face 34-year-old scrapper Noe Lopez (10-3-1, 4 KO) in an eight-round welterweight bout. The young Mielnicki made an early move to veteran trainer Joe Goossen last year.
“Camp is going great and I’m in the best shape of my life,” said Mielnicki. “I can’t wait to showcase my talent in my first eight-rounder.”
“I’m really excited about this fight,” said Lopez. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this and I’ve been training hard for months now. Mielnicki is a young, strong kid. I’m going to go out there, test him, and shock the world.”