Japanese boxer Chikashi Inada will face Jose Armando Santa Cruz of Mexico for the WBC lightweight interim crown later this month after his original opponent, second-ranked Sirimongkol Singwangcha of Thailand, withdrew due to hepatitis.
Inada's Teiken promotion gym announced the change Friday and added the third-ranked boxer will fight fourth-ranked Santa Cruz in Los Angeles on May 20, the venue and date unchanged from the schedule released in late March.
Inada, who has a record of 19-2 with 14 knockouts, claimed the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title in March last year and successfully defended it twice before relinquishing the belt for a shot at the WBC interim crown.
American WBC lightweight champion Diego Corrales had been scheduled to defend the title against mandatory contender Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico, but an interim title bout was determined instead since Corrales had failed to fully recover from injury.