Mercado and Luna is the new Jackie Nava v Mariana Juarez rival fight
On June 26, WBC super bantamweight champion Yamileth “Yeimi” Mercado (18-2, 5ko) successfully defended the title against Angelica Rascon (10-1, 2ko). Yeimi has the second-longest reign as champion in the division. However, a mega-fight with two-divisional champion Yulihan “La Cobrita” Luna (21-3-1, 3ko) is a fight that should be considered worthy of making.
The 23-year old Mexican champion struggled at the beginning against Rascon. This was due to her willingness to fight in a phonebooth type of fight. She finally used her superior boxing skills and footwork to take control of the fight en route to a unanimous decision.
Yamileth Mercado is a good boxer that hits hard to the body. She uses the jab as a range-locator before unloading that straight right hand between your guard. The WBC champion is good at sliding side to side, confusing opponents while landing hard left and right hook combinations. If team Mercado is looking to push for a big fight by the end of the year, they need only to move down to the bantamweight division for a fight with 27-year-old Luna.
READY-MADE SUPER FIGHT
It would be a massive Pay-Per-View fight in Mexico, and it can be promoted as champion vs champion rival bout. Fans would most definitely pack into the arena to see these two fighters in their prime fight each other. La Cobrita comes with plenty of experience. She first tasted championship gold by winning the IBF super bantamweight championship back in 2014. Luna followed up that accomplishment six years later with a huge upset victory over the living legend and WBC bantamweight champion Mariana “La Barbie” Juarez in October 2020.
Luna showed it all in the Juarez fight, controlling the entire bout building everything off the jab. By the end of the night, Juarez’s face was swollen and bloody from taking too many flush shots. It was a shock to see Juarez get thoroughly dominated as two judges scored it 100-90, and one judge saw it 99-91, all for Yulihan Luna.
Furthermore, she is a very disciplined boxer that uses a power jab to perfection. Moreover, she uses her footwork to create angles, and her rapid speed combination punches freeze opponents in their tracks.
With both fighters in their prime, this is an excellent fight that needs to be made right now.
By: Garrisson Bland
