Sergio Mendoza Stuns Ricardo Sandoval With Fifth-Round TKO to Win Unified Flyweight Titles

Sergio “Yoreme” Mendoza turned a short-notice opportunity into the biggest victory of his career Saturday night in Chicago. The Mexican challenger stopped heavily favored Ricardo Sandoval at 1:46 of the fifth round at Wintrust Arena, taking Sandoval’s WBA and WBC flyweight championships and producing one of the most surprising title results of the year. Mendoza had already dropped Sandoval twice in the second round before forcing the stoppage in the fifth.

The circumstances make the upset even more remarkable. Mendoza entered the title fight as a replacement after Oscar Collazo withdrew because of a rib injury. He was also rebuilding from the first loss of his professional career, a stoppage defeat to Thanongsak Simsri in an IBF junior flyweight title challenge in April. Instead of serving as a late substitute against an established unified champion, Mendoza seized the moment and changed the hierarchy at 112 pounds.

Mendoza now leaves Chicago with two major world titles and a dramatically different career outlook. Sandoval had entered the fight riding a seven-fight winning streak and was a substantial betting favorite. Mendoza’s aggressive performance erased those expectations and immediately creates new possibilities in a flyweight division that still includes potential future business with Collazo once the Puerto Rican champion recovers from injury.