Sergio Mendoza stops Ricardo Sandoval to win WBC and WBA flyweight titles in Chicago

Late replacement Sergio Mendoza dropped Ricardo Sandoval three times and stopped him in the fifth round to take the unified flyweight titles on October 10.

Sergio Mendoza of Mexico knocked down Ricardo Sandoval three times and stopped him in the fifth round to win the WBC and WBA flyweight titles on Saturday, October 10, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The Ring reported the official stoppage at 1:46 of the fifth round by referee Mark Nelson.

A late-notice upset

Ricardo Sandoval vs Sergio Mendoza was not the original plan. Sandoval had been scheduled to face WBO minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo, who withdrew last month with a rib injury. Mendoza took the fight on roughly three weeks' notice, and The Ring reported that Sandoval entered as a 7-1 favorite with DraftKings.

Mendoza, a southpaw from Hermosillo, dropped Sandoval twice in the second round, first with a right hook and then with a left uppercut. Sandoval made the fight competitive again in the third and fourth, but a counter right hook put him down a third time in the fifth, and the referee stopped the bout as Mendoza followed up.

It was the first knockout loss of Sandoval's 30-fight professional career and came in his first title defense. The Rialto, California, fighter won the unified belts against Kenshiro Teraji in Japan in July 2025, according to BoxingScene, and drops to 27-3 (18 KOs). Mendoza improves to 28-1 (24 KOs). His only loss came in April, when he was knocked out in the second round by IBF junior flyweight champion Thanongsak Simsri in Tokyo.

"I'm gonna dedicate this incredible win to my brother that just passed away," Mendoza told DAZN after the fight. He added that he is "a natural 112-pounder" and that cutting to 108 pounds had cost him against Simsri.

Schofield headlines

The Mendoza upset was the co-feature beneath Floyd Schofield vs Lucas Bahdi, which decided the vacant WBA lightweight title in the main event of the DAZN broadcast.

Undercard results

Jahmal Harvey def. Pedro Castaneda by TKO, Round 3, 1:08 (lightweight)
Jan Paul Rivera def. Abraham Perfecto by unanimous decision (99-89 x3)
Grant Flores def. Mikey Dahlman by TKO, Round 2
Joshua Edwards def. Craig Lewis by TKO, Round 2
Naomy Valle def. Sheyla Moreno by unanimous decision

Harvey, a 2024 U.S. Olympian, improved to 5-0 with a left hand that floored Castaneda in the third. Rivera stayed unbeaten at 17-0 after scoring a second-round knockdown, though a ninth-round point deduction for a low blow kept his cards at 99-89.