Ernesto "Tito" Mercado (8-0, 8 KOs) returns to the ring on February 4th to face his toughest opponent to date, "Hammerin" Hank Lundy (31-12-1, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia in a scheduled ten-rounder at the LumColor Center in Ontario, California. Red Boxing Promotions is the promoter. “It feels great to be back fighting near my hometown, and I am ready to knock out another opponent,” said the 21 year-old Mercado, who calls Pomona, California his home. “I heard him say that he is making 38-year olds look like 25-year olds right now. After he fights me, he will feel his age and more than likely never want to fight again. I have a lot of respect for Hank Lundy, but he is too old and I’m going to send him into retirement once and for all!”

 

Lundy has been in the ring with Terence Crawford, Viktor Postol, Jose Zepeda, and Thomas Dulorme, so its fair to say this is a major step up for Mercado. "Hank has been in the ring with a lot of great fighters,” continued Mercado.  “Now it is time for me to show that I am just as good as all those other fighters mentioned on his resume. I am calling out all a top lightweight and super lightweight contenders. No one is mentioning my name, now I have to fight veterans that most fighters in my weight class are avoiding to earn my respect in boxing."

 

"You might call this a fight, but I will call it a statement," concluded Mercado. "This is going to be a viral moment in which people will downplay what I do, but if they looked at Hank's history, no one in my weight class will ever beat him the way I will on February 4th!"