The recording artist Kurupt once released Callin’ Out Names, a track airing grievances with fellow musicians. Junior welterweight Ernesto Mercado may not be a rapper, but he shares the same bold approach.
Mercado, the undefeated prospect and recent Matchroom Boxing signee, has a pressing question: Why isn’t his name brought up when young fighters talk about taking on tough opponents?
“Yeah, man, come January, expect me to get in there with a big name,” Mercado told BoxingScene of his upcoming Matchroom debut. “I need the boxing world to start endorsing me and putting my name out there, because these fighters aren’t talking about me – the Keyshawns, the Shakurs. I saw Shakur ringside recently. We locked eyes, and he just turned around. These guys are trying to avoid me.”
Mercado was scheduled to fight Jesus Saracho on the Jaron Ennis-Karen Chukhadzhian undercard in Philadelphia on November 9. However, Saracho’s inability to make weight – coming in seven pounds over – derailed those plans, leaving Mercado eager to make a statement in his next fight. He’s especially keen to face Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis, both of whom have hinted at moving up to junior welterweight.
“What I want is for people to start pressing these guys – Keyshawn saying nobody wants to fight him, Shakur claiming everybody’s ducking him. Start throwing my name in the mix,” Mercado said. “I want the smoke. All that talk about ‘this side of the street’ is nonsense. Eddie [Hearn] works with everybody. I’ll fight anyone, no matter who their promoter is.”
“Keyshawn is willing to go up to 140 for Teofimo [Lopez], and I’ve heard Shakur say he could even go up to 147. I don’t know how, with no power, but I’ll be waiting for him at 140,” Mercado added.
Planning to continue campaigning at junior welterweight, Mercado isn’t just chasing fights – he’s determined to dismantle the hype surrounding boxing’s rising stars, fighters he believes are deliberately avoiding him.
“The guys I grew up watching – [Alexis] Arguello, [Ray] Leonard – they fought everybody,” Mercado said. “These guys today talk like they’re about it, but it’s all a persona. I want to get them in the ring and end that facade.”
Mercado is ready for big names, but he’s also calling on boxing’s stakeholders to ensure fights don’t fall apart in negotiations.
“I need the boxing world to start pushing these guys to fight me,” he said. “They keep claiming nobody wants to fight them. Start throwing my name in the mix, and let’s see what they say. I guarantee you they’ll go quiet.”