Unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez has a new date on the calendar to defend his crowns.

After originally preparing for an April 19 fight, and then a date sometime in May, The Ring has learned that the WBA and WBO title holder Ramirez will face mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticos on June 28 on DAZN at a location yet to be determined, according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) is coming off the best year of his career in which he scored unanimous decision wins against Arsen Goulamirian for the WBA belt in March and Chris Billam-Smith for the WBO crown in November.

Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs) remained as the WBA mandatory challenger throughout and received step-aside fees in order for “Zurdo” to step in for the sizable opportunities.

Dorticos, a soon-to-be 39-year-old Cuban based in Miami, has been inactive in recent years, fighting only once in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024 while going without a fight in 2023.

The career-long cruiserweight has fallen short in the two most significant contests of his career, albeit in ultra-competitive title fights.

In 2018, Murat Gassiev dramatically dropped Dorticos twice and stopped him in the 12th round of a fight that was tight on the scorecards. In 2020, Dorticos suffered a majority decision defeat to Mairis Briedis during the World Boxing Super Series final.

If Ramirez, a 33-year-old from Mexico, outlasts the power-punching Dorticos, he’ll continue to stay in prime position for big fights against the likes of The Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia and light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol and top contender David Benavidez, both of whom have considered cruiserweight campaigns in recent days.