Last night, inside of the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York, IBF lightweight champion Miguel ?Puppet? Vazquez (32-3, 13 KO’s) made the fourth successful defense of his bauble with a less-than-thrilling split-decision victory over Sinaloa, Mexico?s Marvin Quintero (25-4, 21 KO’s).
Vazquez is certainly an interesting character. He?s a tough nut to crack, with his only losses being decision verdicts against WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez on two separate occasions, yet his awkward style often leaves much to be desired from a fan?s standpoint. View slideshow: PHOTO Flashback: Mercito Gesta halts Ty Barnett in thrilling fashion in Las Vegas to continue Vazquez buzz
Watching the Vazquez-Quintero match last night, lightweight contender Mercito ?No Mercy? Gesta (26-0-1, 14 KO?s) seemed to have a hard time gathering his thoughts when asked for his take on the bout.
?Not too much action,? stated the 25-year old Gesta, originally from Mandaue City, Philippines and now residing out of San Diego, California. ?But Miguel Vazquez, that?s how he fights. He?s good at that and he?s a hard fighter. He uses every tactic to win the fight. It looks boring, but this guy is a hard fighter.?
Video: Mercito Gesta discusses a fight with Miguel Vazquez on the Pacquiao-Marquez IV undercard in Vegas
Ranked #5 by the IBF, Gesta was eyeing the fight in hopes that Vazquez would emerge unscathed so that a proposed Las Vegas showdown on the December 8th Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV undercard could come to fruition.
?I really want that title shot,? Gesta confirmed. ?That?s why I watched the fight. It seemed like last night he was good and didn?t have a cut, and not beat up. If the fight goes on, I really want that bad.?
Vazquez is a workmanlike type of fighter and nothing really special stands out about him. Gesta takes a cautious approach when assessing Vazquez as an opponent but you can sense his confidence when speaking.
?This guy, he has a lot of tactics and stuff, but I think just the speed, I think that?s my advantage with this guy,? stated Gesta. ?But of course, we need to have a game plan for this guy. We need to find a way to fight this guy.?
Gesta?s trainer and co-manager Vince Parra advised me recently that their camp will shift to the mountains of Big Bear, California on Nov. 1 in hopes of creating the best possible atmosphere heading into the biggest fight of Mercito?s career.
The change of location is one that Gesta seems to be welcoming.
?I think that?s a big move for me,” said Gesta. “It?s my first time there and I?m going to try it. A lot of champions go there for training and it?s a high enough place. I think it helps for my cardio and stamina. It puts my training to the next level, especially if it?s a title fight.?
