Ernesto Mercado’s pursuit of bigger fights drew an interesting reaction from Tim Bradley, who does not believe Top Rank is prepared to match Emiliano Vargas with the hard-hitting contender despite both men being among the brightest young names at light welterweight.
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Mercado recently named Vargas and Frank Martin as opponents he wants next, believing a WBO eliminator with Vargas makes sense given his position in the rankings. Bradley, however, thinks the obstacle is not Mercado’s willingness to fight.
“They [Top Rank] not putting that boy [Emiliano] in the ring with you,” Bradley said on Inside the Ring. “He’s not ready for you. But I want to know, how do you get these guys in the ring? When you go to different promotional companies, they have little stickers on the wall, and they have certain guys on the wall. They have ‘stay away from you’ on their wall. How do you feel you’re going to get an opportunity to really showcase your talent against the highest guys at the highest level, man?”
Mercado acknowledged the challenge but believes his career is moving toward the opportunities he has been asking for.
“That’s why I got to keep knocking on the door. I’m close to being a mandatory. With the new partnership with Salita, I think we’re going to make that happen.”
Max Kellerman agreed with Bradley’s view, arguing Mercado presents the type of risk many promoters would rather avoid while bringing their own prospects along.
“And you understand why guys would want to stay away because wherever you wind up, you’re going to bring it, you got explosive power, and you fight with a level of intensity. People don’t need those problems, especially when they’re trying to develop young fighters,” said Kellerman.
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Last Updated on 2026/07/24 at 1:32 AM
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