A surprise opportunity has gone as well as
Brandon Mejia could have hoped for.
Now, Mejia is one win away from winning the WBC Grand Prix at featherweight and will face fellow unbeaten prospect
Muhamet Qamili in Saturday's finals from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"The tournament has been outstanding," Mejia told
The Ring via translator. "It feels like when you get promoted to the major leagues, That's how amazing this has been. The organization, way the tournament was set up and received is otherworldly, we've enjoyed this process from beginning to end."
Mejia vs Qamili is one of four finals this weekend, the winner of each will receive $200,000, the Jose Sulaimán trophy and a shot at a WBC ranking title in their respective division.
Mejia (12-0, 10 KOs) has been dominant throughout the tournament, going 4-0 with two knockouts. Of those four wins, three have come against fellow undefeated prospects. Mejia earned his place in the final with a fifth-round knockout of Bekizizwe Maitse on Oct. 19.
The 21-year-old is Mexico's last representative remaining in the competition.
"There is pressure," Mejia acknowledged. "There's a lot of responsibility. I don't begrudge or escape that, I embrace it and want to represent Mexico with pride. I want to make Mexican fans proud of how I fight, then give my best. I'm going to fight my heart out to make sure that the Mexican flag waves proudly and high when we're out there on Dec. 20."
Albania's Qamili (17-0-1, 8 KOs) secured a first-round stoppage of Yoni Valverde Jr in the semi-finals to set up the clash with Mejia. The 25-year-old prospect's win over Valverde was his lone tournament victory by stoppage.
"He truly deserves it," Mejia said of Qamili. "He has fought his heart out, and now fans can expect a war between two hungry fighters."
Here are Saturday's three other finals, to be streamed live and exclusively on DAZN. Junior welterweight: Carlos Utria (13-0, 11 KOs) vs. Mujibillo Tursunov (9-0, 8 KOs)
Middleweight: Dylan Biggs (17-1, 9 KOs) vs. Derek Pomeleau (15-0, 11 KOs)
Heavyweight: Kevin Ramírez (11-0-2, 4 KOs) vs. Ahmed Krnjić (7-0, 4 KOs)