If he continues to put in the work, Ernesto Mercado will eventually land a world title shot. His patience, however, won’t allow him to simply sit back and wait.

Since the 23-year-old isn’t highly ranked in any of the four sanctioning bodies, he figures that a bit of trash talk is the sort of promotion he needs to get himself some attention.

When he isn’t chastising the rest of the junior welterweight division, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) is busy taking out every and anyone that stands in front of him. In the first step-up fight of his career against Jose Pedraza recently, Mercado made it look easy, stopping the former multi-divisional champion in just four rounds.

A win over Pedraza might’ve proved that Mercado is ready to go to another level but getting a world title shot isn’t likely anytime soon. But while his path to a belt isn’t clear, he’s still keeping tabs on the division’s champions.

Currently, Alberto Puello, Teofimo Lopez, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela, and Richardson Hitchins all hold a piece of the championship pie. Although he respects their accomplishments and wishes he was in their position, he doesn't believe that all champions are made equally.

“He's (Richardson Hitchins) probably the weakest champion out of the bunch,” said Mercado during an interview with Tru School Sports. “Between him and Rayo. I feel like they're the weakest ones out of the bunch.”

Richardson, 27, is fresh off winning the IBF title against Liam Paro in the final month of 2024. For the most part, every belt holder either has a date or is on the verge of finalizing a deal for a future opponent.

Tolerance will be Mercado’s best friend. He isn’t in a place to demand a title shot but wishes he could aim for the best that the junior welterweight division has to offer. If he were given a chance, he’s confident that he could knock off both Valenzuela and Richardson. Those conjectural wins would be the sort of firepower he needs to lure the big fights he craves.

“My name would be big enough to get a fight with Teofimo or Devin.”