Carlos Utria Beats Israel Mercado by Split Decision in 10-Round Las Vegas Opener

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 23

97-93, 96-94 and 94-96 scores gave unbeaten Colombian prospect Carlos Utria a split-decision win over Israel Mercado in the super lightweight opener at T-Mobile Arena.
Round-by-round action suggested a tight, disputed result: Mercado surged late, badly outworking Utria in the 10th, while Utria did his best work with body shots and cleaner power punching in the middle rounds.
Boos rang out around the arena when the verdict was announced, reflecting how competitive the fight had become after Mercado's higher output narrowed and, on some cards, erased Utria's early edge.
The bout opened the DAZN pay-per-view card headlined by Rolando Romero's WBA welterweight title defense against Teofimo Lopez, on only the second PBC show since the partners' recent deal.

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Will Teofimo Lopez's desperate gamble to move up in weight backfire against Romero's unpredictable knockout power?

Can the unprecedented DAZN-PBC partnership finally cure boxing's fractured landscape, or is it another empty promise?

After a night of restless boos, will the high-stakes main event salvage this multi-million dollar Vegas spectacle?

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