Ernesto ‘Tito’ Mercado
Aiming To Send A Message To 140 lb Rivals!
(December 12th) Ernesto ‘Tito’ Mercado says he plans to put on a clinic on Saturday night against Antonio Moran at the Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California, live worldwide on DAZN, so that the big names at Super-Lightweight sit up and take notice.
Mercado (17-0 16 KOs) takes on Moran (31-7-1 21 KOs) for the WBO International title, and the Pomona native hopes that victory will see him move into the top ten with the organization, whose World title belongs to Teofimo Lopez.
The champion puts his belt on the line in a blockbuster battle with Shakur Stevenson on January 31 in New York, live on DAZN, and Mercado plans to shine against the experienced Moran to make a future showdown with the winner of the Madison Square Garden clash become an appealing prospect to fight fans.
“Antonio has been in with everyone, and he’s given them all uncomfortable moments and I expect nothing less here,” said Mercado. “He’s coming in off the back of a win, and he’ll be high on that, so we wanted a fight like this, to get a WBO belt and get that fight with Teofimo Lopez, so this is all building up to what I want.
“I want to fight both Teofimo and Shakur, so I’m almost a little disappointed that one of them is going to take an ‘L’ as it might diminish when I beat them but it should be a great fight and they are trying to put on the best fights which is really good. I think Shakur winning it, which is out of my favor as he’s not going to want to fight me, he’ll pass the belt on to Keyshawn Davis, as they have a little brother thing going on, so hopefully Teofimo wins and we get it on for the belt.
“A fight with Keyshawn would be perfect. He’s been out of boxing for a second, he went MIA, and I’d like to take him out permanently. We can make that fight happen next on the Lopez-Stevenson undercard, definitely.
“I was frustrated with the long layoff but it’s good to be jumping back in with an international belt on the line and it’s shaping up perfectly. I’m excited and I’m going to knock this guy out and go and get that World title belt. I’ve been calling these guys out for a while, but it’s been crickets, but once I’m number one with all the organizations, you can’t say anything no more.”
Mercado’s clash with Moran is part of a stacked night of action in Stockton, headlined by Los Angeles’ Super-Middleweight sensation Diego Pacheco taking on fellow unbeaten KO artist Kevin Lele Sadjo.
The co-main event of the night picks local fan favorite Gabe Flores Jr. against former two-time World champion Joe Cordina in a World title eliminator for the WBO Lightweight strap, while anther former World champion, Skye Nicolson, takes on Yuliahn Luna for the WBC interim World Super-Featherweight title.
Arturo Cardenas and Cesar Vaca headline the prelims in a clash for the WBC Continental Americas Super-Bantamweight title, Briton Chev Clarke is in action over eight rounds against Anthony Hollaway at Cruiserweight, while local pair Sachery Sam and Cesar Olvera kick off the night, with Olvera taking on Victor Saravia over four rounds at Lightweight in the show opener, followed by Sam meeting Brandon Medina Guerrero over six at Featherweight.
Flores and Cordina collide in a co-main event battle that has a massive reward on the line, with the winner putting themselves in pole position for a shot at the WBO World Lightweight title in 2026, a belt picked up by Cleveland starlet Abdullah Mason in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Victory for Cordina on hostile territory will see the ‘Welsh Wizard’ take a huge step on the path to becoming a two-weight World champion, but Stockton’s own Flores is on a six-win streak as he looks to punch his ticket to a first World title bout. The last two of those wins took place at the Chicken Ranch Resort Casino in February and June last year, and the entertainment destination are delighted to be backing Saturday night’s action and will be willing Flores to victory.
“Chicken Ranch Casino Resort is thrilled to partner with Matchroom Boxing in support of Gabe Flores Jr.,” said Joseph Mathiesen-Powell, Chairman of the Chicken Ranch Tribal Council. “Gabe embodies the drive, heart, and resilience that resonate deeply with our community. This partnership is more than sponsorship—it’s a celebration of passion, perseverance, and hometown pride.”
About Chicken Ranch Casino Resort - The Chicken Ranch Rancheria Me-Wuk Indians of California:
Nestled in the heart of Jamestown, California, near Yosemite National Park, Chicken Ranch Casino Resort is a unique destination in Tuolumne County that boasts a nine-story resort with an expanded gaming floor that offers expansive views of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Opened in July 2024, the destination features 197 hotel rooms and suites, a collection of restaurants and bars and 12,000 square feet of event space.
Chicken Ranch Casino Resort is proudly owned and operated by the Chicken Ranch Rancheria Me-Wuk Indians of California. For more information and a whole lot of fun, visit chickenranchcasinoresort.com.
About Matchroom Boxing
After the success of snooker in the 1980s, Matchroom Sport moved into boxing with two small hall shows followed by Frank Bruno v Joe Bugner at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground – the biggest boxing event of 1987. That launched the company into the boxing big-time, a position it has maintained ever since.
Through the 1990s Matchroom Sport’s boxing roster featured many of the biggest names in the sport including Lennox Lewis, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and Naseem Hamed, all in world title fights and it continues to work with some of the biggest names in UK boxing including Audley Harrison, the 2000 Olympic Super-Heavyweight gold medalist.
Over the years, Matchroom Sport has built up long-standing relationships with broadcasters around the world and with the advent of the Prizefighter phenomenon, the company’s boxing division has never been in a stronger position.
From fantastic six round scraps between the sport’s journeymen, up to multi-million-dollar World Championship contests featuring the above fighters, the Pro Box series has it all. Each show is packed with the very best in boxing action in a series that encompasses almost 25 years of Matchroom Sport’s commitment to bringing the highest quality to the global television market.
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