KEEPING UP WITH THE GESTAS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 13 Dec 2010
Mercito ?No Mercy? Gesta has been vacationing here in Cebu for over three weeks now after a highly successful 2010 campaign in the United States. The 23 year old Gesta hails from Labogon, Mandaue City and has made San Diego, California his second home and base of operations since 2007.
Together with his parents, the undefeated WBO-NABO Youth Lightweight titlist had a chat with this writer and philboxing editor Dong Secuya Sunday afternoon in one of the malls in Cebu City. Mercito's name is a combination of his parent's names Aniceto and Mercedes Gesta.
His first ring monicker was ?Guerrero?. ?It is Spanish for warrior so they were thinking of changing it to something else when I started fighting in the States. They were playing around with my first name... Merciless, then No Mercy.?
Gesta is not yet sure who his next opponent will be but he hopes to face the big names in his weight category. ?I'm still hoping to fight Michael Katsidis. If not Brandon Rios or Vicente Escobedo.?
Rios and Escobedo are also from California. What makes the Rios match-up interesting is that he is trained by Robert Garcia who trains Nonito Donaire and Antonio Margarito.
Gesta (20W-0L-1D, 10 KO's) won by KO or TKO in three of his four victories this year. Last June, he won the vacant North American Boxing Organization (NABO) Youth Lightweight title with a 4th round TKO win over Oscar Meza in Tampa, Florida. He is happy with the support given by the Filipino community in the U.S.
?In my last fight against Ivan Valle in San Diego, ninety percent of the audience were Filipinos,? he said.
Both parents are supportive of their son's chosen profession. His father, Aniceto is a Muay Thai practitioner and still competes in K-1. He heads the C-Mac Club in Mandaue City where they have their own gym.
He trained his son in kickboxing before he shifted to conventional boxing.
?He has extraordinary power. He has been knocking out his opponents now that his body has matured. He had only three knockout wins before he left for the U.S. Then, as he grew he knocked out most of his opponents. You could see his opponent's feet lifted off the canvas after a body punch.? Aniceto said. He believes his son has a big chance of becoming a world champion.
Mercito is a natural right hander but his father converted him into a southpaw keeping with the martial arts principle of making your strong hand the lead punch.
Mercedes is not squeamish about watching her son fight and understands the importance of sustaining boxers with potential. ?Manny Pacquiao has done so much to lift Filipino pride abroad. We should not sleep on this and wait for many years before we look for the next great boxing champion.? she said.
She even bet thirty thousand pesos on his son in a kickboxing match when he was still a teenager. ?He was up against a former national team member, Ruben Salido. Mercito was just sixteen and much smaller. He got hit with a flying knee strike but Mercito survived and won.?
Mercito remembers the fight well. ?I just sucked it up. The guy was older and more experienced but I won on points.?
Gesta has no amateur boxing background but makes up for it with his experience in Mauy Thai. Was it hard to adjust to conventional boxing?
?No, not at all.? he said. ?In martial arts I have to watch for kicks, knees, elbows, takedowns. In boxing, I just concentrate on the fists.?
When asked who among the Filipino boxers impressed him, Mercito said ?Milan Melindo, he is a complete boxer. Donnie Nietes and Nonito Donaire are also very good. I sparred with Z Gorres before, he was very hard to catch even if I was stronger.?
As a teenager, his father would bring him to the ALA Gym and spar with their boxers. ?I sparred with Michael Domingo when he was already Philippine champion. I also sparred with Boomboom Bautista, and bigger guys like Randy Suico, Jimrex Jaca, and Dexter Delada.?
Gesta showed wisdom beyond his years when asked about how he will approach his next opponent, ?I won't guarantee a win but I learned a lot from different trainers, Carl Penalosa, Freddie Roach, and now Vince Parra. I know the importance of using my head. Our team studies tapes of the opponent and analyzes them. You need to adapt to different styles. Then we come up with a plan. I hope I can get a big name next year.?
He used to live in his girlfriend's apartment in California but when they broke up he lived in the house of an uncle of Manny Pacquiao.
?I'm looking for for a new apartment and a new girlfriend.?
So what does he do in his spare time when he is not in the gym? ?Fishing. Watch movies and go on dates.?
Gesta remembers his elementary and high school years in Labogon. He also spent a few years living in Cavite. Their gym was recently visited by a television crew headed by Ronnie Nathanielz.
?Mr. Nathanielz told me my son reminds him of Flash Elorde.? a mother's pride was evident when Mercedes said this. ?He said it was the way Mercito goes in and out in his offense.?
Gesta plans to return to California by the last week of January. He could very well be the next big thing in Philippine boxing.
Top photo (L-R): The author, Mercito, Mercito's father Aniceto and mother Mercedes. Photo by Dong Secuya.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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