Mandaue City?s 24-year-old boxing rising star Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KOs) has been knocking on the door of his big break. Currently residing in San Diego, the undefeated converted southpaw has slowly made his name in boxing, rising through the ranks of the lightweight division against gradually improving competition.
His most impressive victory to date was a solid performance against legitimate contender, Ricardo Dominguez, who more than gave perennial champion Humberto Soto all he could handle in a previous fight prior to locking horns with the Filipino pug.
And as much as he would?ve loved to step in for Yuriorkis Gamboa against Brandon Rios for Saturday night?s main event, Gesta is determined to make an emphatic statement against Colombian Oscar Cuero (15-7, 12 KOs) with another Mexican champion in mind.
For many, Gesta appears to be easy prey for Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez. For Gesta and his camp, however, a fight with Marquez is exactly the type of opportunity they?ve been waiting for and working hard to get to prove that he is indeed an elite-level boxer.
?Accept that fight and choose me. I would really appreciate it if you give me that chance,? was Gesta?s message to Marquez in a recent interview with Elie Seckbach of ESNewsReporting.com.
It?s been rumored for several weeks now that Gesta is being looked at as Marquez?s July opponent in a blockbuster double-header at the New Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas that will also feature top pound-for-pound Filipino fighter Nonito Donaire, Jr.
Gesta also received a boost in training for this fight when his father Anecito came over from Cebu to San Diego at the beginning of the year to help him with his technique, fight strategy and conditioning. “It’s a beautiful thing,” said Gesta’s co-manager and co-trainer Vince Parra, who has been a mentor to him since moving to San Diego.
As far as Parra is concerned, whoever Top Rank puts in front of them, their goal is to score a KO or an impressive victory, make noise, until they ultimately get the big fight they’ve been working diligently to get. “I know what Mercito is capable of,” Parra told me previously in an interview. “The kid is a fast learner and is going to be a World Champion. We just need to keep showing it in the ring and earn our way to the top.”
