Ernesto Mercado aims to make his name at 140 when he takes on Hector Sarmiento.
The junior welterweight division is one of the deepest and most talented in the sport of boxing.
Soon-to-be undefeated Ernesto 'Tito' Mercado could be in that mix.
Mercado will face Hector Sarmiento on Saturday night at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The 10-round bout will be broadcast live on DAZN's YouTube channel (6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT), followed by the Big Time Boxing USA card (DAZN, 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT), headlined by the Ring super champion middleweight Claressa Shields against WBC heavyweight title holder Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
After fighting club shows in and around Southern California and Tijuana, Mexico, Mercado will be fighting on the first major card of his young career. Promoter Dmitriy Salita believes Mercado has the potential to be a contender at 140 pounds.
“Ernesto is one of the best young fighters in the world,” Salita told The Ring Tuesday. “It made sense to have him on this card because there are two top level players in that category on the card. Ernesto is getting a lot of attention and I believe he has a bright future in the sport. “
Salita was talking about junior welterweight fighters Michel Rivera and Shohjahon Ergashev, both signed to Salita Promotions. Rivera and Ergashev face Hugo Roldan and Julian Smith, respectively.
Mercado is currently a promotional free agent, but Salita said there may be interest in signing Mercado in the future.
“At the moment he is not signed to me,” said Salita. “As you know, we are always looking to sign top talent.”
“We are rebuilding Detroit as one of the centers of excellence in boxing.”
Mercado, 22, (15-0, 14 knockouts), who lives in Pomona, California, last fought on April 5, stopping Deiner Berrio in the fourth round. In his last fight on February 24, Mercado knocked out Cristian Bielma in the second round. That fight took place in Tijuana.
Mercado was very active in 2023, fighting five times. His most impressive win to date was a knockout victory over Jeremia Nakathila on November 11. Other wins on his record were former world title holders Henry 'Hank' Lundy and Xolisani Ndongeni.
Sarmiento (21-2, 14 KOs), who lives in Cordoba, Argentina, has not fought since February 2020, losing a unanimous decision to Denys Berinchyk, who currently holds the WBO world lightweight title. The battle took place in Brovari, Ukraine.
The 31-year-old has split his last four fights. Mercado's fight will be Sarmiento's first in the United States.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has handled boxing in Southern California and internationally since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. They can be reached at [email protected]
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