Featherweight Michael Conlan, whose long-awaited pro rematch with amateur rival Vladimir Nikitin was scuttled last week when Nikitin suffered a torn biceps, got a replacement opponent on Wednesday.
Conlan will face Diego Alberto Ruiz on Aug. 3 (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET) in the 10-round main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card at Northern Ireland's Falls Park, an outdoor stadium in Conlan's hometown of Belfast.
While the fight with Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs), 29, was heavily anticipated, the bout against the far more seasoned Ruiz (21-2, 10 KOs), 25, of Argentina, figures to go a longer way in Conlan's development.
"The show goes on. A bigger fight is happening. A harder fight is happening. A better performance will happen," Conlan said. "My motivation and mindset haven't changed. I'm expecting him to cause me more problems than what Nikitin could have caused me.
"When Vladimir Nikitin dropped out due to injury, I told Top Rank and (management company) MTK Global to get me the toughest possible opponent. Ruiz is on a 10-fight winning streak and I know he's coming all the way from Argentina to continue his victorious ways. This is my toughest test as a professional, but if I'm going to become a world champion I must beat Ruiz. I've been busy in London with my trainer, Adam Booth, and I can't wait to put on a show on August 3."
Ruiz will be fighting outside of Argentina for the first time. He has not lost a fight since a six-round decision in 2016, although he has faced low-level opposition.
"This is the biggest fight of my career," Ruiz said. "This is a great opportunity to prove myself as a fighter. I fought June 1, and I am going to be ready for whatever Michael brings. It won't be an easy fight, but it is not an impossible task. I am not scared to fight on the road. That is my motivation because the pressure will be on him."
Conlan (11-0, 6 KOs), 27, and Nikitin met at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the result was a massively controversial Nikitin decision win that nearly caused an international incident.
Conlan, who claimed an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 for Ireland, was a medal favorite in the 2016 Games when he met Nikitin in the quarterfinals with the winner guaranteed at least a bronze medal. He appeared to easily defeat Nikitin, but the judges gave Nikitin the shocking victory. However, Nikitin was so busted up from the fight he withdrew from the tournament and was unable to fight in the semifinals.
After the bout, a distraught Conlan famously lashed out at the judges by giving them double middle fingers in the ring. He ripped the International Boxing Association, which was overseeing the Olympic tournament, and said he believed that Russian president Vladimir Putin had paid off the judges to give the decision to Nikitin.
"Maybe once I'm a world champion, I might give Nikitin a shot, but for now, I'm moving on because it was more stalling my career than advancing it in terms of the level I'm at," Conlan said.
Top Rank also announced that middleweight Luke Keeler and Luis Arias will meet in a scheduled 10-rounder in the co-feature.
Keeler (16-2-1, 5 KOs), 32, of Ireland, is 6-0-1 in his last seven bouts and will be defending his regional title.
"I know Luis Arias is a world-level fighter and will be best I've been in with," Keeler said. "Technically, he's good but he's the perfect step I need to beat before fighting for a world title. Arias has already proven he is on the same level as the likes of Gabriel Rosado, who we tried make the fight against."
Arias (18-1-1, 9 KOs), 29, of Milwaukee, a one-time top prospect, is 0-1-1 in his last two fights, having lost a lopsided decision to Daniel Jacobs in November 2017 and a split decision to Rosado this past November.