Israel Mercado spoils return of local Branden Pizarro in Philadelphia

Israel Mercado pulled off the biggest upset of his career Friday, defeating hometown fighter Branden Pizarro in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena.

Mercado pulled off the 10-round majority decision with the scores of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95.

After two evenly contested rounds, Mercado finished the round pressing Pizarro to the ropes. Mercado continued to maul his opponent, while Pizarro landed shots at full distance behind his jab.

In the fourth round, Mercado pressed forward with eye-catching shots. Mercado was making it a physical fight, denying Pizarro his intention of keeping the fight in the center of the ring, where he would have the advantage.

Pizarro bounced back in the fifth, staying busy, but his hands began to lower in the sixth, while Mercado continued to stay active, backing Pizarro to the ropes. Mercado spent the eighth pursuing Pizarro, forcing him to fight for extended periods of time off the ropes.

Mercado’s pressure continued through the final two rounds as Pizarro continued to fight off the ropes. According to punch stats, Mercado landed only three more punches than Pizarro (138-135), but Mercado threw nearly 100 more punches (578-484). 

Mercado – a 30-year-old from Montclair, California, who was fighting for the third time in 2025 – improved to 13-1-2 (7 KOs). The 25-year-old Pizarro fell to 20-2-1 (11 KOs), taking his first loss since 2017.

Junior welterweight Kurt Scoby, of Duarte, California, picked up a sixth-round technical knockout over Haskell Rhodes, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, when Rhodes couldn’t answer the bell for the seventh round. The time of the stoppage was 3 minutes.

Scoby, 30, dropped Rhodes with a right hand in Round 3. The knockdown came after the two exchanged words throughout the early rounds. Scoby sent Rhodes, 37, to the canvas in Round 6 with a flurry of punches, and Rhodes was unable to answer the bell to start the next round. Scoby was cornered by Mark De Luca for this fight, in place of trainer Hector Bermudez.

Scoby now has a three-fight knockout win streak since his loss to Dakota Linger, running his record to 17-1 (15 KOs). Rhodes has lost two fights in a row, dropping to 31-8-1 (16 KOs).

After the fight, Scoby called out Giovanni Marquez, the undefeated son of former titleholder and Olympian Raul Marquez.

“You know what I want,” Scoby said after the fight. “First, give me my KO bonus. After that, you know who I want: Raul Marquez.”

Welterweight Tahmir Smalls, of Philadelphia, knocked out Clarence Booth, of Saint Petersburg, Florida, in the second round of a bout scheduled for eight. The time was 1 minute, 26 seconds.

Smalls rocked the 37-year-old Booth at the end of the first round. In the second, Smalls, 26, landed an overhand right that sent Booth to the canvas, where he was unable to get up.

Smalls is now 15-0 (11 KOs), while Booth fell to 21-12 (13 KOs), having lost his past eight fights dating back to 2022. IBF welterweight titleholder Jaron “Boots” Ennis appeared in Smalls’ corner to support him.

Welterweight Tyreem Haywood, of Philadelphia, knocked out Frank Brown, of San Antonio, in less than a minute with a left hook to the body. The time was 44 seconds. Haywood, 19, has now stopped the first six opponents he has faced in his professional career. Brown dipped to 3-13-2 (1 KO).

In the opening bout, featherweight Keith Colon, of Newark, New Jersey, stopped Las Vegas’ Robin Ellis in the second round via a technical knockout. The time was 1 minute, 40 seconds.

Colon, a decorated amateur, dropped the 29-year-old Ellis with a left hook in the first round. Colon floored Ellis again when a series of punches was punctuated with a left uppercut. A right hand in the second round sent Ellis to his knees – and again to the canvas – forcing the referee to call off the bout.

The 22-year-old Colon, like Haywood, has stopped the first six fighters he has faced, improving to 6-0 (6 KOs). Ellis sank to 6-12 (5 KOs).

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at .