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Steve KimESPN
Junior welterweight contender Ivan Baranchyk suffered an undisclosed injury during a sparring session on Thursday, forcing his July 7 bout against Jose Zepeda to be postponed. The 10-round fight was scheduled to headline a Top Rank on ESPN card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
“I don’t want to say where he’s injured, but he got injured late last night, sparring,” David McWater, Baranchyk’s manager, told ESPN. “We’ve done X-rays, and we’re doing an ultrasound today. It’s definitely going to be postponed.
“I don’t know how long, but there’s no way he can be ready on the seventh now,” McWater said.
Baranchyk (20-1, 13 KOs), the former IBF junior welterweight titleholder, lost his belt in May 2019 in a 12-round decision against undefeated Josh Taylor in the semifinals of the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Baranchyk, currently ranked seventh in the 140-pound division by ESPN, rebounded with a fourth-round knockout of Gabriel Bracero in October.
It’s not clear what direction Top Rank will go with their main event on July 7. But McWater is hoping that this fight can be quickly rescheduled.
“I feel it’s a delay — and not a long one,” McWater said. “We’re hoping we can do this fight in late July.”