Sergio Mendoza Stops Ricardo Sandoval to Win Flyweight Titles in Chicago
Sergio Mendoza stopped Ricardo Sandoval by technical knockout at 1:46 of the fifth round to win the WBA and WBC flyweight titles on Saturday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Mendoza improved to 28-1 with 24 knockouts while Sandoval fell to 27-3 with 18 knockouts.
The referee halted the scheduled 12-round bout after Mendoza landed a series of clean shots following a third knockdown. Mendoza had dropped Sandoval twice in the second round and once more in the fifth.
Sandoval rose each time, but the final sequence left him under sustained pressure. The official announcement confirmed the result as a TKO victory that made Mendoza the new WBA and WBC flyweight champion.
Open scoring after four rounds had Mendoza ahead 38-36 on all three cards. The fight was broadcast on DAZN as the co-feature on the Golden Boy Promotions card headlined by Floyd Schofield and Lucas Bahdi.
Mendoza entered as a late replacement after Oscar Collazo withdrew with a rib injury. Sandoval had been listed as a heavy favorite for his first title defense.
Mendoza, the 26-year-old southpaw from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, had lost by second-round knockout to Thanongsak Simsri in April. He recovered from a knockdown of his own in the second round against Sandoval and continued to press forward.
Sandoval, the 27-year-old from Rialto, California, had captured both titles with a split-decision win over Kenshiro Teraji in Japan in July 2025. The loss marked the first time Sandoval had been stopped in his professional career.
The third knockdown came from a right hook to the head with roughly 1:40 remaining in the fifth. Mendoza followed with additional punches that forced the referee to intervene while Sandoval was still on his feet.
The stoppage ended Sandoval’s first defense and handed both belts to Mendoza on his United States debut. Mendoza’s punching power, which produced 24 knockouts in 28 wins entering the bout, proved decisive over the full five rounds.
Mendoza leaves Chicago as the new WBA and WBC flyweight champion after a fifth-round technical knockout in his first title opportunity.
Sandoval leaves with the first stoppage loss of his career and both belts gone after more than a year of inactivity between title fights.
