Yamileth Mercado will defend her WBC junior featherweight title against Ramla Ali at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 29.
They will meet on the card topped by the blockbuster clash between Juan Francisco Estrada and Jesse Rodriguez for the WBC and Ring Magazine junior bantamweight titles.
Mercado (23-3, 5 KOs), set to defend her title for the seventh time after winning the strap in November 2019, will be fighting in the United States for only the second time, having taken on Amanda Serrano in Cleveland in August 2021. The long-reigning Mexican pitched a shutout in her last defense, in April in Tijuana, dominating Linda Laura Lecca over the 10-round distance.
“I’m excited to fight in the United States,” said Mercado. “There are thousands of paisanos who live in Arizona. I will give them a great fight, Mexican-style. Ramla is a great fighter, but she will not take away my goal of unifying all the titles.”
Ali (9-1, 2 KOs), the first fighter to represent Somalia in the Olympics (in 2020, in Tokyo), is entering her first world title bout full of confidence, having gained revenge over Julissa Guzman in her most recent outing, in November. Ali was stopped by Guzman in June in New Orleans, but she outboxed her foe in the rematch.
“It’s hard to articulate how much this means to me,” Ali said. “As an athlete and as a person, you set yourself goals and challenges in your life and in your career. Some of them you meet and some of them you don’t. I’ve never really found any happiness or satisfaction so far in the milestones and achievements I’ve made. I truly feel that being crowned the WBC champion, which is something that I’ve always wanted since I picked up a pair of boxing gloves when I was 12 years old, finally gives me some peace in the long road of struggles that have gotten me to this point.
Mercado’s promoter, Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Boxing, said, “Mercado is currently the best female fighter of Mexico, and it is an honor to have her along with another of Mexico’s best fighters, Juan Francisco Estrada.”
In addition to Mercado-Ali and Estrada-Rodriguez, the June 29 card will feature a matchup of former world champions Sunny Edwards and Adrian Curiel, as well as Arturo Cardenas meeting Danny Barrios in a battle of unbeatens.
“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to get this great fight over the line,” said Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, the card’s promoter. “Yamileth has reigned long as the WBC champion and is sure to have the fans on her side on June 29, but Ramla has always taken every challenge she’s faced head-on – and Phoenix will be no different.”
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