Yamileth Mercado retained her WBC super bantamweight world championship for the third time, beating a brave and always dangerous Isis Vargas by unanimous decision, in the main event of the show presented by Zanfer and 2M Promotions in Chihuahua, and broadcast by Azteca 7.
Mercado (19-3, 5 KO’s) was always at the forefront, aggressive, unleashing combinations and showing great rhythm, from the first to the last round, with a high volume and frequency of blows.
The “Empress” Vargas (11-3, 3 KO’s) was a brave challenger, with an effective strategy at times by taking advantage of her reach advantage.
The aggressiveness of Mercado was the key and the difference in the fight, because on several occasions, her right hooks to the face, and her repeated lefts during combinations, to the body and face, hurt Vargas on more than one occasion.
When Mercado put her challenger on the ropes, she landed power shots that rocked Vargas.
Vargas had good moments in the middle rounds of the fight, when she hit the world champion with long punches, and with clinches when Mercado approached to counter. During one of these moves, their heads collided, and Mercado came out with a cut on her forehead, which slowed her pace. Vargas took advantage by landing jabs and straight lefts, and even a right cross to the face.
However, Mercado’s corner controlled her wound, ordering her to avoid getting too close – and instead to release combinations from mid-distance, and the champion made her dominance clearer.
In the end, Mercado retained her belt with a well-deserved victory by unanimous decision, with three identical scores in her favor of 99-91.