The evergreen Nonito Donaire will now meet fellow Filipino and WBO title holder John Riel Casimero in a bantamweight unification bout at a site to be determined on August 14.
WBC 118lbs king Donaire steps in for old foe and WBA Regular belt holder Guillermo Rigondeaux, who was not injured but effectively demoted from the original PBC main event.
A battle between pure punchers Donaire and Casimero is considered a more crowd-pleasing proposition. The 38-year-old Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) is coming off a career-reviving, fourth-round blast-out of Nordine Oubaali last month to win the WBC crown. Casimero (30-4, 21 KOs) was last seen steamrollering Duke Micah in three rounds in September 2020.
Cuban veteran Rigondeaux (20-1, 13 KOs & 1 NC) is likely to take a spot on the Donaire-Casimero undercard. He could still meet the winner.