The emotions rushed upon Sergio Mendoza as thoroughly as the replacement challenger from Mexico swarmed Ricardo Sandoval Saturday night to post three knockdowns and claim the unified WBC/WBA flyweight titles.
Sergio Mendoza produced a major upset by defeating unified flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval via a fifth-round stoppage after scoring three knockdowns. Stepping in as a late replacement on approximately seven days' notice, Mendoza dropped Sandoval twice in the second round and sealed the victory at 1:46 of round five to claim the world title.
Sandoval entered the bout following a 15-month layoff after originally preparing to face Oscar Collazo, who withdrew due to injury. On the undercard, lightweight Jahmahl Harvey achieved a third-round knockout against Pedro Castaneda, while Jan Paul Rivera earned a unanimous decision victory over Abraham Perfecto.
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