PBC FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS: Utria vs Mercado | August 22, 2026

Opening up the pay-per-view, unbeaten super lightweight prospect Carlos Utria (15-0, 11 KOs) eked out a split-decision victory over 140-pound contender Israel Mercado (13-2-2, 7 KOs) in a spirited contest that saw one 96-94 score for Mercado overruled by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 for Utria.

“We’ll keep working,” said Utria. “I have a few things I need to fix. I think the travel took a toll on me, more than anything. I don’t think I got enough rest; it was nothing but traveling.”

“I thought I won the fight,” said Mercado. “I’ve been here many times before. I’ve been on the downside of decisions like this. This fight meant a lot, but we keep moving forward.”

The nip and tuck nature of the fight was reflected in the punch stats as they threw and landed a nearly identical amount of punches with Utria connecting on 152 of 593 shots to Mercado’s 157 of 587 rate. In addition, Mercado landed 94 power punches to Utria’s 93, with the two fighters never separated by more than nine punches landed in any of the first nine rounds.

“I had him buzzed with a couple shots,” said Mercado. “I had him backpedaling. I out-jabbed him, threw better combinations and my defense was on point. I’ve never felt better after a fight.

The fight was highlighted by several high-octane rounds, especially in the back half of the fight. The final three rounds saw each fighter increase their activity as they looked to pull away on the scorecards, with the two fighters combining to throw 202 punches in the final round. In the end, Utria swept rounds six through nine in the eyes of two judges to put him in a position to edge the cards in the end.

Exchanged words after several back and forths in round 3, round 8 most active round of the fight with both landing clean shots

After the fight, the victorious Utria sent a message back to his native Colombia in light of the recent earthquake in his home country.

“Colombia, thank you for your support,” said Utria. “My team’s t- shirt was a tribute to my people. I wanted to bring them some joy after this terrible tragedy. Stay strong, Colombia!”

#CarlosUtria #UtriaMercado #IsraelMercado

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