Christopher Diaz has a new opponent Bryant Cruz

Featherweight contender Christopher Diaz has a new opponent for his fight on Saturday night.

Diaz (21-0, 13 knockouts) will now face Bryant Cruz inside The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 10 round bout will precede the junior featherweight showdown between WBO titleholder Vasily Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux.

Both bouts will air live on ESPN (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

The 23-year-old from Barranquitas, Puerto Rico was originally scheduled to face Casey Ramos, but Ramos reportedly dropped out of the fight without any explanation.

Diaz, who is ranked number six by by the WBO, knocked out Jose Estrella in the third round of his last bout on Apr. 21 in Kissimmee, Florida.

Cruz (18-2, 9 KOs), who hails from nearby Port Chester, fought on Nov. 18, knocking out Angel Cruz in Queens, New York. It was his first fight in eight months to the day, when he was stopped in the eighth round by unbeaten lightweight Ryan Martin.

Cruz is 2-2 in his last four bouts.

Francisco A. Salazar has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV, Boxingscene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing