Two fights between junior middleweights have officially been added to the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia undercard.

Jesus Ramos, rated No. 6 by The Ring at 154, will face hard-hitting Johan Gonzalez on May 4, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) announced Thursday afternoon. PBC also announced Vito Mielnicki, Jr. will square off against Ronald Cruz.

Both 10-round fights will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will stream live as part of preliminary action on PBC on Prime Video (6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT). Both fights will be available via free access to all fans, regardless of Prime membership or purchase of the pay-per-view telecast through Prime Video.

The main four-bout pay-per-view telecast, which could also be purchased through DAZN and PPV.com, will begin at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.

“PBC on Prime Video action will return with two young stars looking to improve their position in the stacked 154-pound division,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Jesus Ramos and Vito Mielnicki, Jr. have both shown they have what it takes to be future champions, but they will have stiff tests on May 4 against Johan Gonzalez and Ronald Cruz, respectively, providing an ideal lead in to the pay-per-view event headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.”

Ramos (20-1, 16 knockouts), who resides in Casa Grande, Arizona, last fought on September 30, losing a hard-fought unanimous decision to Erickson Lubin in a crossroads bout. That fight took place on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo fight.

In his previous fight on March 25 of last year, Ramos battered Joey Spencer before the fight was stopped in the seventh round.

The 23-year-old has notched victories over Ramal Amanov, Esteban Garcia, Jesus Bojorquez, Javier Molina, and Brian Mendoza. Ramos is confident a win over Gonzalez will put him amongst the elite in the division.

“I’m excited to be back in the ring again,” said Ramos, who is the nephew of fringe welterweight contender Abel Ramos. “My team and I have been training hard to prepare for this fight. I have a tough opponent in Johan Gonzalez, who’s hungry for a big opportunity, but I’m hungry too. I want to prove that I belong at the top of the division and I can’t wait to put on a great performance on May 4.”

Gonzalez (34-2, 33 KOs), who is originally from Valencia, Venezuela and now lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada, defeated Guido Schramm by majority decision in his last bout on November 15. In his previous fight on August 23, Gonzalez stopped Ricardo Villalba in the fifth round.

The 33-year-old has won his last three fights since losing by unanimous decision to Magomed Kurbanov. Gonzalez is confident the momentum being carried into the fight against Ramos will lead to another victory.

“I’m extremely motivated to be facing an opponent like Jesus Ramos, who has experience fighting on big cards like this,” said Gonzalez. “This is my chance to show my skills and announce myself on the biggest stage. I appreciate everyone who helped make this fight happen and I can’t wait to show what I can do on May 4.”

Mielnicki (17-1, 12 KOs), who resides in Roseland, New Jersey, made quick work of Salim Larbi in his last bout on December 29 in nearby Newark, knocking him out in the opening round. The win over Larbi took place less than five weeks after Mielnicki stopped Alexis Salazar, also in the first round.

The 21-year-old Mielnicki would fight four times in 2023.

Mielnicki has won his last nine bouts since losing by majority decision to James Martin in April 2021.

Cruz (19-3-1, 12 KOs), who resides in North Hollywood, California, last fought on December 16, defeating overmatched Jose Aguirre by decision over seven one-sided rounds. The win over Aguirre took place over five months after Cruz lost by unanimous decision to Xander Zayas.

The 32-year-old was winless in three fights leading up to the Aguirre fight.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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