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Ernesto “Tito” Mercado endured an extraordinary 24 hours in Atlanta after his original opponent came in roughly ten pounds overweight, only for his replacement to then miss his fight-day weight requirement by almost nine pounds, leaving Mercado without a fight. Mercado was originally scheduled to face former world title challenger Emmanuel Tagoe on the Claressa Shields vs. Kaye Scott card at State Farm Arena. Tagoe arrived at Friday’s weigh-in roughly ten pounds above the contracted 140-pound limit, forcing the matchup to be scrapped. Roger Hilley then accepted the fight at short notice, with Mercado agreeing to face his replacement in a ten-round contest. However, the attempt to save the fight ended with another significant weight problem. Replacement Misses Weight by Almost Nine Pounds According to Supreme Boxing, Hilley arrived in Atlanta at 155 pounds and was required to weigh 146.6 pounds or less on fight day under Georgia rules. That left Hilley 8.4 pounds above the required fight-day weight and brought an end to Mercado’s hopes of remaining on the card. The unbeaten super lightweight therefore saw two opponents fail to satisfy their respective weight requirements within around 24 hours. Promoter Rick Mirigian reacted to the situation and called for greater protection for his fighter when future bouts are negotiated. “Tito Mercado is too good of a fighter for this kind of stuff to keep happening. We have to always negotiate a backup opponent to be on the same card and a financial guarantee no matter what. I hope they still paid him,” Mirigian said. “He’s out there trying and building hype, PR and his team. I hope he is back quick! Some big fights to get made after a couple bouts for him!” Mercado had been willing to accept a replacement following Tagoe’s initial weight miss, only to see the second matchup collapse for the same fundamental reason. Daniel Mercado Scores First-Round Knockout There was at least some success for the Mercado family in Atlanta. Tito was in the corner as his brother Daniel Mercado faced Rahmel McKinley on the Zeus Network portion of the card. Daniel dropped McKinley twice in the opening round before securing the knockout at 1:48. For Tito, there was no opportunity to extend his own unbeaten record. After preparing for Tagoe, accepting a late replacement and agreeing to the revised weight conditions, Mercado ultimately left Atlanta without throwing a punch. About the Author Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.