Ernesto Mercado Confirms Matchroom Split, Calls Out 140 Division

Unbeaten contender announces departure and targets fights with top names in division

Ernesto Mercado has confirmed he has parted ways with Matchroom Boxing and entered free agency at 140 pounds. The unbeaten contender said he is now targeting the biggest fights in the division.

After a long 2025 where he battled a rotator cuff injury and saw his activity drop to just two fights, hitting free agency now gives him the leverage he’s been looking for.

“Today, I would like to share an important decision that marks a new chapter in my professional journey. I have decided to part ways with Matchroom Boxing,” Mercado said on Instagram. He said that he’s targeting “the biggest fights possible.”

By walking away from Matchroom, Mercado is betting on himself to land the “big names” he’s been calling out for years. While Matchroom provided the DAZN platform for his win over Antonio Moran, Mercado clearly felt the path to a world title shot wasn’t moving fast enough.

“Anybody can get it. All you so-called top 140lbers, don’t run from the smoke now,” said Mercado.

As a free agent, he can now negotiate fight-by-fight. This allows him to jump between promoters like PBC, Top Rank, or Golden Boy, depending on who can deliver a champion.

He specifically called out the top of the division. Since he holds a secondary WBO title from the Moran win, he is well-positioned to pressure ex-champions like Teofimo Lopez or the winner of recent high-profile bouts.

By leaving Matchroom, Mercado is basically saying: “If the big promoters won’t force these guys to fight me, I’ll go to whoever will.”

He likely realized that being “locked in” to Matchroom meant he was at the mercy of their schedule and their priority list (which is crowded).

The avoidance of Mercado has become one of the most glaring open secrets in the sport. It is a textbook case of a fighter being too dangerous for his own good.

For the Stars Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, why fight a “boogeyman” like Mercado for $2 million when you can fight a vulnerable name like Mario Barrios or a beatable prospect like Emiliano Vargas for $10 million?

Now that Mercado is a free agent, he has escaped the Matchroom bubble, but he’s entered a “no man’s land.” Promoters like Top Rank or PBC usually prioritize their own “in-house” talent. They want to build stars they own 100%.

Mercado is an outsider who comes in, knocks out their prospects, and leaves with the win. Unless he signs a long-term deal that gives a promoter total control, they have no incentive to “gift” him their top fighters.