Premier Boxing Champions is actively seeking to replace former welterweight champion Victor Ortiz from a Sunday card in Ontario following his Tuesday arrest on suspicion of rape.

An official connected to the situation said powerful boxing manager Al Haymon’s PBC wants to keep former 140-pound title challenger John Molina Jr. of La Verne in the FS1-televised main event.

Ortiz, 31, who stood as welterweight champion in 2011 before getting knocked out by Floyd Mayweather Jr., turned himself in to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday following an investigation by Oxnard police connected to a March incident.

Ortiz faces three felony counts of sexual assault on an adult woman. He is out of jail on bail and due in Ventura County Superior Court on Oct. 10 for his first hearing.


Tarzana’s Ortiz, who has performed on “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Expendables 3” film, was hopeful that a victory over Molina would spring him into a richer fight given PBC’s deep talent of welterweights.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

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