Junior welterweight Ernesto "Tito" Mercado’s Matchroom Boxing debut has been halted before it began.

The 23-year-old Mercado, 16-0 (15 KOs), from Pomona, California, was set to make his fourth appearance of 2024 – and his first since signing with Matchroom Boxing. However, plans unraveled when his opponent, Jesus Saracho, weighed in an astonishing 7lbs over the 140lbs limit earlier this morning, forcing the bout’s cancellation.

Saracho, 23, who resides in Auburn, Washington, entered with a record of 14-3 (12 KOs) and had recently upset Alberto Palmetta in his welterweight debut on ProBox TV.

At the "Two Kings" weigh-in event in Philadelphia – where welterweight titleholder Jaron "Boots" Ennis and junior bantamweight champion Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez will defend their titles – Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn didn't hold back in expressing his frustration. Standing next to Mercado, Hearn’s disappointment was obvious as he addressed fans live and watching the live stream.

“Absolutely disgusted and devastated,” Hearn said. “Tito’s opponent comes in seven pounds over the weight limit. The problem is, Tito is one of the most feared guys in the division right now.”

Describing the face-off from the day before, Hearn continued, “His team was shouting at Tito during the face-off, saying they’d do this and that. I’ve never seen a fighter in the 140lbs division come in seven pounds over. Tito has his thoughts, that they’re running scared of him.”

But despite the setback, Hearn made it clear they have plans to keep Mercado’s momentum going, stating, “We got to get straight back, immediate fight date for Tito."

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.