Jose Ramirez returns to the ring in his Central Valley home, looking to redeem the first professional loss of his career.

In his first bout since losing a decision to Josh Taylor for the unified 140-pound world title, Avenal-native Ramirez (26-1, 17 KO) faces a formidable opponent in Jose Pedraza (29-3, 14 KO) tonight at the Save Mart Center.

The next chapter in ?? vs ?? goes down TONIGHT.#RamirezPedraza | @ESPNPlus – 10:30pm ET pic.twitter.com/Dzg3CST7C1

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 4, 2022

The winner of the scheduled 12-rounder will claim the WBO international junior welterweight title.

Ramirez, the former holder of the WBC and WBO crowns, was knocked down for the first two times in his career against Taylor.

Olympic Medalist Torrez Makes Pro Debut

On the undercard, Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. of Tulare will make his professional debut, taking on Allen Melson (6-3, 3 KO) in a heavyweight fight.

Fresno is one of America’s great fight towns, and tonight, Central Valley hero Jose Ramirez takes on Jose Pedraza in a sensational 140-pound main event. We are also excited to see the heavyweight pro debut of Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr.

— Bob Arum (@BobArum) March 4, 2022

Torrez turns pro after his standout performance at the Tokyo Games last year. He will have his father, Richard Torrez Sr., in his corner.

Preliminaries start at 4:15 p.m. The entire nine-match card will be streamed on ESPN+. Torrez’s fight is estimated to start around 8:20 p.m. Ramirez is scheduled to hit the ring around 9 p.m.