Carl Frampton is on the hunt for a new opponent for his ring return on August 15.
It comes after Vahram Vardanyan was forced to withdraw from the bout after reportedly encountering issues getting into the UK.
The Athletic's Mike Coppinger said Armenian Vardanyan won't be available for the fight in nine days' time at the BT Studios.
Coppinger tweeted on Thursday morning: “Carl Frampton needs a new opponent for his Aug. 15 headline fight on ESPN/BT in London, sources tell @TheAthleticBOX. He was slated to face Vahram Vardanyan, who encounted issues getting into the U.K. Michael Conlan meets Sofiane Takoucht in the co-feature.”
The search is already underway to find a replacement, and it is hoped a new name will be confirmed on Thursday.
Frampton recently revealed Vardanyan was his seventh choice after six other potential opponents rejected offers to take on the former two-weight world champion.
“We had six other guys that just said no, didn’t want the fight. We were running out of time so we got this guy last week," Frampton said in an interview.
Frampton is hoping to use next week's fight as a warm-up for his expected WBO super-featherweight world title showdown with Jamel Herring later in the year.
Meanwhile, Michael Conlan’s fight with former European champion Sofiane Takoucht is still on for August 15 on the same bill.
