Las Vegas welcomed Mercito ?No Mercy? Gesta and his legion of supporters from his adopted hometown of San Diego, California over the weekend, as the 24-year old unbeaten lightweight contender from Mandaue City, Philippines overcame a spirited effort from Ty Barnett.
Facing off with the D.C. fighter inside of the Texas Station Hotel and Casino, Gesta appeared to be sluggish early, even eating a few solid right hands along the way from his rangy counterpart. But Gesta would eventually get into his groove, rocking Barnett badly in the fifth and ending matters with a pair of knockdowns in the ninth, the second being so severe that Barnett?s corner opted to throw in the towel. View slideshow: Behind the scenes during Mercito Gesta?s victory over Barnett
With the victory, Gesta sees his record rise to 26-0-1 with 14 knockouts while scoring his second straight stoppage victory, as the Barnett drubbing came on the heels of April?s 8th round TKO over Columbia?s Oscar Cuero.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who oversees Gesta, mentioned prior to the fight just how important this victory was for his fighter, even noting that a possible crack at IBF lightweight boss Miguel Vazquez could be in the works for later this year. A title opportunity is something Gesta and his team have been clamoring for and it looks to be just around the corner.
For an exclusive look at Gesta?s breakdown of Barnett, including behind the scenes shots of each fighter in their dressing room, trainer Robert Garcia and his fighter Trevor McCumby, Shane Mosley ringside calling the action, local prospect Jesse Magdaleno?s blazing victory, and much more, please visit Behind the scenes during Mercito Gesta?s victory over Barnett
.
Reader’s note: For an exclusive look into the world of boxing in videos, including exclusives with Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mayweathers, Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, Nonito Donaire, Robert Garcia, Tim Bradley and others, please SUBSCRIBE to Chris Robinson’s CRHarmony YouTube Page
