The Ring has confirmed that the junior welterweight knockout artist will oppose Roger Hilley in a 10-round welterweight bout on the Claressa Shields-Kaye Scott undercard at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Hilley replaced Ghanaian veteran Emmanuel Tagoe late Friday afternoon, once Tagoe came in at an astounding 10 pounds over the contracted limit for his fight with Mercado.

Whereas Tagoe (34-2, 16 KOs) is right-handed, Hilley is a southpaw who will at least give Mercado a different look, despite that he took their fight on virtually no notice.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, also part of DAZN’s broadcast team, first reported Hilley accepted this dangerous assignment.

The 32-year-old Hilley (14-1, 9 KOs) last fought September 6, when he stopped journeyman Jerome Rodriguez (12-16-3, 4 KOs) in the first round in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Hilley resides. Hilley lost his previous bout to Joshua Pagan (16-0, 5 KOs), who won their eight-rounder by unanimous decision in May 2024.

The 24-year-old Mercado (19-0, 18 KOs), of Pomona, California, will fight for the first time since he signed a contract with Salita Promotions last month. His bout with Hilley will be the co-feature before Shields (18-0, 3 KOs), of Flint, Michigan, attempts to regain the WBA and WBC middleweight titles from Australia’s Scott (5-1-1) in the 10-round main event.

DAZN’s undercard coverage is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET.