BIRTHDAY BOY MERCITO GESTA AIMS TO CELEBRATE ON NOVEMBER 11 in LAS VEGAS
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 14 Oct 2011
Mercito Gesta turned 24 last Tuesday but the celebrations will have to wait for the undefeated Cebuano fighter. Right now, the 23-0 Gesta is in the center of training for his upcoming fight against tough Mexican lightweight Ricardo Dominguez. Gesta will co headline a November 11 Top Rank Live boxing card at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas at the eve of Pacquiao- Marquez III. A fight he is excited to be part of and at the same time a fight where he is eager to put on a show himself.
Gesta is fresh from a 10 round unanimous decision victory against Manuel Perez in Arizona last September 17. In it, he was criticized as being tentative and not being active enough to win what is supposed to be an easy fight for him. But Perez was not an easy fighter that night. He stalked Gesta all night which threw the Cebuano off. Gesta was put in a defensive mode in the early rounds but was able to assert himself on the second half of the fight after he got Perez's attention with his left hand. A performance even Gesta himself did not appreciate. "I was not really satisfied with my last fight," an apologetic Gesta told me over the phone. He said he really wanted to knock Perez out but Perez is a tough fighter with a good chin. He promises it'll be a different result on his upcoming fight. "This next fight on November 11 at Mandalay Bay, I will do my best to give a better performance," he stated.
Three weeks after the Perez fight, Gesta is back in the gym last Monday for some light sparring. "We will do very light sparring because the cut that I suffered from my last fight has not completely healed yet," he told me. Gesta suffered a cut in his left eyebrow last time around as a result of a clashing of heads between the two fighters. He escaped the need for stitches as the cut was not deep enough to necessitate one. "In the meantime, we will do some strength and conditioning training as well as doing the punching bag." he added. Gesta started doing some road work two weeks after his last fight and he is looking forward to spending some quality time at the famous Wildcard Gym for this fight too. A routine he has done in his last couple of fights.
Gesta will be a facing a veteran of 43 fights in 26 year old Ricardo Dominguez. At only 26, Dominguez has accumulated a record of 34-7-2 with 21 KOs already. His losses were from the best of the lightweight divisions in the likes of Zahir Raheem, Brandon Rios and most recently to Humberto Soto and Miguel Vazquez in title fights. He is coming off two straight win after that loss to Vazquez in November 2010, the last one was a 3rd round TKO of previously unbeaten Angel Martinez in Mexico. Gesta is in for another test with Dominguez and he knows it. "I have been studying his tapes and familiarizing myself with his style so I could develop a counter for him." Gesta said. "My team is looking for a sparring partner that will be suited for my next opponent. He is taller than me, so that will be one of the factors in selecting my spar mates," he added.
Vince Parra, Gesta's trainer told me that he gave Mercito the day off last Tuesday for his birthday but he turned it down and went to the gym anyway. "Mercito is really focused on his upcoming fight and is really motivated to silence some critics on November 11," Parra said. A sentiment the boxer nicknamed "No Mercy" shares with his trainer. "This fight in Mandalay Bay, headlining the card the night before Manny Pacquiao's fight is huge for me and my boxing career. I am still an up and coming fighter, a prospect but I was already given the opportunity to headline a big promotion." Gesta stated. He is excited to show the large boxing and Filipino crowd who will be in Vegas for Pacquiao - Marquez III what he's capable of. He aims to spearhead the Philippine bandwagon of victories on fight week. "I will put in a better performance than last time; I will knock my opponent out," Gesta stated with excitement.
Mercito Gesta was tended a surprise birthday party by his friends and teammates last Wednesday night in San Diego. And as he blew those candles in his cake after a hearty dinner, everyone in the room knew beforehand what he is wishing for; to become a world champion. The road towards it will start in his first Las Vegas event less than a month from now. And as he cut his birthday cake for his well-wishers to partake of, he knows that the real celebration will have to wait till then.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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