Victor Ortiz will take on Josesito Lopez at the Staples Center, Los Angeles on June 23 after Andre Berto failed a drugs test.
American facing new opponent after Berto fails test
Victor Ortiz will take on Josesito Lopez at the Staples Center, Los Angeles on June 23 after Andre Berto failed a drugs test.
Ortiz came off the canvas to beat the previously undefeated Berto in a classic last spring, and the rematch was hotly anticipated.
However, when Berto tested positive for a banned substance recently Lopez (29-4) stepped in at just over a month's notice.
Butu Ortiz, who lost the WBC welterweight title he won against Berto to Floyd Mayweather, is not taking his new opponent lightly.
"Josesito is a great fighter. We share one thing in common, and that's a lot of heart," he said. "It's going to be a great night. He's ready to fight, and that makes two of us.
"It's too bad (that Berto failed the drug test), but at the end of the day we have to prepare for another champion, and that's Josesito Lopez.
"I've been training for more than six months for this fight, but that's what world champions do. I have to be prepared to fight anyone if I want to prove that I'm the best.
"Lopez is a warrior and I know he'll come to fight on June 23.
