Tito Mercado bout scrapped after second weight miss in Atlanta

Ernesto Tito Mercado, 24, will not fight on the Claressa Shields-Kaye Scott card in Atlanta after a replacement opponent failed to make weight. Mercado entered the planned bout with a 19-0 record, including 18 victories inside the distance.

Mercado was initially due to meet Emmanuel Tagoe at 140 pounds. Tagoe weighed 150 pounds on Friday, making the original contest impossible and forcing organisers to search for another opponent. Roger Hilley then agreed to step in, with the limit raised to 146 pounds.

Hilley also missed the revised limit, and the fight was cancelled. His eventual weight was not available, leaving Mercado without an appearance after the second failed weigh-in in the space of two days.

The cancellation has also renewed scrutiny of the matchmaking around Mercado. Tagoe is 37 and has boxed only twice since Ryan Garcia defeated him by unanimous decision over 12 rounds in April 2022. Tagoe had also been inactive for a year before this proposed contest, with his previous fight taking place in August 2025.

A victory over Tagoe would have added to Mercado’s record but offered limited evidence of how he would cope with a demanding opponent. With 18 knockouts in 19 professional wins, Mercado is regarded as a fighter who can be moved more aggressively and tested against opponents capable of exposing weaknesses.

Mercado joined Salita Promotions in partnership with Wynn Records after leaving Matchroom Boxing earlier this year, with increased activity among his stated aims. Four fights in a year, however, would have limited developmental value if the opposition did not require him to solve difficult problems in the ring. The latest cancellation means that planned activity has ended before Mercado could compete.