Mercado Returns, Predicts KO Wins Over Top 140 Stars

Ernesto ‘Tito’ Mercado makes his return against Antonio Moran this Saturday, December 13th, on a Matchroom card at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.

Why Antonio Moran Now

The Eddie Hearn-promoted Mercardo (17-0, 16 KOs) will be fighting veteran Moran (31-7-1, 21 KOs) in a tune-up 10-round bout on DAZN.

Eleven Months Out

It’s the 24-year-old phenom Mercado’s first fight in 11 months, so it’s understandable why he’s facing Moran. He’s been out with a training camp injury he suffered last June. He’s finally ready to turn. Mercado vs. Moran will be for the WBO International light welterweight title.

It makes sense that Ernesto is fighting for the WBO International belt, as his best bet for a nice payday is to be moved up the WBO’s rankings at 140. Teofimo Lopez is the current champion, but that could change if he loses to Shakur Stevenson on January 31st.

market gives predictions of how long these fighters would last against him:

• Teofimo Lopez: “I give him five rounds.”
• Shakur Stevenson: “He’s going to run a lot. Nine rounds.”
• Richardson Hitchins: “Six rounds.”
• Dalton Smith: “One round.”
• Subriel Matias: “Four rounds.”
• Isaac Cruz: “Three rounds.”
• Keyshawn Davis: “Three rounds.”
• Antonio Moran: “Three rounds.”

Mercado looked outstanding in his last fight, knocking out former two-division world champion Jose Zepeda in four rounds in January 2025. No one had ever stopped Pedraza that fast, not even Gervonta Davis or Keyshawn Davis. It says a lot that Mercado was able to get him out quicker than those two.

Matchroom’s Problem

Hearn hasn’t said what his plans are for Mercado. He’s got a lot of talented fighters in and around the 140-lb weight class that he could match him up with. However, it’s questionable whether Hearn wants to keep Mercado away from his top fighters, like Richardson Hitchins and Dalton Smith, knowing that their value would plummet if they lost to him.