Tito mercado next fight
Junior welterweight contender Ernesto “Tito” Mercado is ready to make his Big Apple debut.
Mercado told The Ring that his return date is set for June 14 on the undercard of IBF junior welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins’ title defense against George Kambosos Jr. at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
Matchroom Boxing hasn’t announced the card yet, and Mercado isn’t aware who he’ll be facing following his dominant fourth-round stoppage win against Jose Pedraza in January.
The knockout artist Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) said he would like to take on another credible opponent, namely fighters like Regis Prograis, Jack Catterall, Oscar Duarte, or Miguel Madueno as he continues his quest for a world title shot.
Mercado is surprisingly not ranked in the top 15 by any of the four major sanctioning bodies despite crushing reputable opponents like Pedraza, Jeremia Nakathila, Henry Lundy, Jayson Velez, and Xolisani Ndongeni ever since making his pro debut in 2021.
The 23-year-old Pomona, California native Mercado signed a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn in August.
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X/Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.
Former prospect of the year and can’t-miss junior welterweight contender Ernesto Mercado has already been billed as the future of American boxing and a surefire venture to become a future nature champion.
Armed with Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn in his corner, “Tito” is ready to realize his true potential whenever he’s presented with a nature title shot.
In the meantime, the 23-year-old power-punching Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) must first get on the mend after an injury that forced him out of his June 14 fight against Jonathan Montrel.
The bout was supposed to take place on DAZN at New York’s Madison Square Garden Theater on the undercard of 140-pound IBF champion Richardson Hitchins’ first title defense and eight-round stoppage win against George Kambosos.
"It’s very unfortunate and disappointing that I had to go through this injury," Mercado told The Ring. "I tried everything I could to make it through the pain and fight, but it was not possible. This fight was everything that I needed to make some more noise with a big knockout win and call out that overrated clown Richardson Hitchins."
Mercado said he was injured on his final afternoon of sparring Ju
When it comes to young fighters with great upside, there are a handful of names out there, but one that keeps coming up is 23-year-old junior welterweight Ernesto ‘Tito’ Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs). Mercado took the hard road on his way up by going independent, but that paid off for him as all the major promoters were looking to sign him until he settled with Matchroom Boxing. Now Mercado will make his highly anticipated debut with Matchroom on January 25 in Las Vegas, NV, against former world champion Jose Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs).
Going From Indie To Major
Not every fighter who goes pro gets signed to a major promoter out of the amateurs. Some take longer to develop and get signed later on in their careers. But some fighters bet on themselves independently, which works out and gives them leverage when negotiating a deal with a major promotion at that point, as Devin Haney did a few years ago. Mercado and his father decided to go the independent route, and although it’s the harder road to take, like Haney, it worked out, leading to Mercado signing a deal with Matchroom in the summer. With all of the offers he received from different promoters, what stood out about
Decorated amateur, Ernesto "Tito" Mercado (3-0, 3 KOs), a 21-time national champion, will fight this Saturday, February 12th at the Commerce Casino, in Commerce, California, as he faces Marc Misiura (2-2-1, 1 KO) in a scheduled six-round bout. A junior welterweight with Nicaraguan heritage, Mercado was a 2021 Olympic alternate. He was undefeated in the bouts he competed in at the Olympic Trials, won gold internationally and had an outstanding amateur record of 278-11. Mercado was in a prime position to fight for his father's native Nicaragua in the Continental Olympic Qualifiers for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, but due to COVID, all the qualifications were changed, and Mercado was unable to compete or be given a chance to secure a spot. "I won't lie, it hurt not being able to fight in the Olympics," said Mercado. "I know everything happens for a reason and I am more driven and focused because I feel as though one of my goals was taken from me."
This will be Mercado's third scheduled six-round bout in only his fourth professional fight, though none of his fights have gone the distance, and the only one
Ernesto
Mercado
Super-Lightweight
W 17
HometownCalifornia, USA
KO 16
StanceOrthodox
D 0
Height5' 10"
about
Ernesto Mercado penned promotional terms with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing in August 2024 to add to an already stacked stable at Super Lightweight.
'Tito' has bullboozed his way to a record of 16-0 with 15 of those wins coming by way of knockout and looks to be the next fledging 140 pounder rocketing towards a World Title shot in the near future.
Tito was scheduled to make his Matchroom debut in November only for his bout to fall through after his opponent, Jesus Saracho, weighed in seven pounds too heavy.
Mercado was then added to Diego Pacheco's undercard in Las Vegas in January 2025 against former World Champion Jose Pedraza in a much tougher fight on paper. Tito blasted Pedraza out in the fourth round before calling out Shakur Stevenson ringside.