Ryosuke Nishida vs. Bryan Mercado - Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

After suffering his first professional loss, Ryosuke Nishida aims to bounce back into the win column and make headway in a division ruled by Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue.

Nishida will throw hands with Bryan Mercado in a super bantamweight fight Sunday at Sumiyoshi SportsCenter in Osaka, Japan.

Nishida (10-1, 2 KOs) endured his first loss in June when he was forced to retire at the end of the sixth round against Junto Nakatani due to a cut.

The defeat in the bantamweight title unification bout was costly as Nishida wound up losing his IBF world championship in the process.

The Ring

Moving up a division, Nishida will look to rebound against Mercado (32-1, 26 KOs) who produced three knockout victories in an active 2025, having last defeated Florentino Perez Hernandez via eighth-round TKO in November.

Will Nishida put himself on Inoue’s radar with a statement win at super bantamweight? Or will Mercado, who is fighting outside of his native Mexico for the first time, make waves with an upset? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both fighters entering Sunday’s matchup.

Ryosuke Nishida’s Keys to Victory

Establish the jab early

Against an aggressive, forward fighting Bryan Mercado, Ryosuke Nishida must establish his jab early. It is the Japanese boxer’s best weapon to keep Mercado at bay and dictate the pace of the fight.

If successful in asserting the jab, Nishida will need to use that stick to broker his ring real estate effectively. Mercado will likely stalk the former world champion, therefore placing the onus on Nishida to constantly adjust and maintain a healthy distance.

Mercado can make this fight a rough one for Nishida if he plods his way inside. Nishida must avoid this from happening and can do so with subtle footwork and a constant flicking of the jab.

Find a consistent home with the straight left

Once that jab is landing with regularity, the southpaw Nishida ought to bring that straight left through Mercado’s guard as well.

The combination landing could be demoralizing for Mercado who will be seeking action in the pocket. Plus, the straight left finding a consistent home cleanly will aid in Nishida rebuilding his confidence after a loss toward banking rounds.

Set up the uppercut with deception

Nishida is skilled and deceptive in the way he launches the uppercut. With his stick landing consistently, Nishida should look to throw the right-handed jab as a deception, only to turn on it and wind it into an uppercut at the last second.

The shot tends to surprise opponents. A left-handed uppercut in the pocket — a shot that Nishida can sit on — would have a similar effect.

Bryan Mercado’s Keys to Victory

Pressure with volume

Ryosuke Nishida would be comfortable picking Bryan Mercado apart from the outside if he is allowed to. That is precisely why the Mexican fighter must pressure the former bantamweight world champion with volume. Doing so will help turn this fight into Mercado’s aggressive kind of scrap.

Keep the fight on the inside

Once successful in getting within Nishida’s jab, Mercado would be wise to keep the action on the inside. Staying in the pocket could afford Mercado the opportunities to land his heavy-handed shots and grind away at the Japanese fighter.

Launch the overhand right

Mercado possesses a hard-hitting overhand right. If he is able to anticipate and avoid a left from Nishida, Mercado should take his chances with detonating his big weapon.

Landing the overhand right on an unsuspecting Nishida might give Mercado his best chance of pulling off the grand upset.

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