Tugstsogt Nyambayar will have a chance to return to the win column this weekend.

His originally scheduled opponent, however, no longer has that luxury.

BoxingScene.com has learned that Vic Pasillas is no longer on this weekend’s Showtime tripleheader after testing positive for Covid. Pasillas was due to face Mongolia’s Nyambayar in a battle of mid-level contenders coming off losses in their most recent bouts but was forced to withdraw from the contest.

Sources familiar with the development inform BoxingScene.com that Pasillas (16-1, 9KOs)—an aggressive 29-year-old southpaw from Redwood City, California—is already beginning to show signs of improved health. Of course, he is obviously nowhere near to the point of being able to return to the ring this weekend or in the near future.

A replacement opponent is being secured to face Nyambayar as this goes to publish. One name that has surfaced is Namibia’s Sakaria Lukas (25-1, 17KOs), though he still has to be approved by Showtime and medically cleared.

Lukas suffered his lone defeat in his stateside debut, a ten-round, unanimous decision to Isaac Avelar in December 2020. The bout served as part of a PBC on FS1 show preceding a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View topped by WBC/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence’s unanimous decision win over Danny Garcia in his first fight back following injuries sustained in an October 2019 single car crash.

Two wins have followed for Lukas, both coming three weeks apart on separate club shows in Cancun.

Nyambayar (12-2, 9KOs) has not fought since a twelve-round, unanimous decision defeat to unbeaten Chris Colbert in their interim junior lightweight title fight last July in Carson, California. The bout was a one-and-done trip to 130 for Nyambayar, a 2012 Olympic Silver medalist for Mongolia who hopes to reestablish his place among the top featherweights.

The lone other defeat for Nyambayar came nearly two years ago in a title fight loss to WBC featherweight champ Gary Russell Jr. (31-1, 18KOs), who faces Philippines’ Mark Magsayo (23-0, 16KOs) in Saturday’s main event from Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa in Atlantic City. The tripleheader also includes a junior welterweight rematch between Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias (17-1, 17KOs) and Petros Ananyan (16-2-2, 7KOs), a Los Angeles-based Armenian who scored an upset win in their February 2020 meeting.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox