GESTA AIMS TITLE SHOT NEXT YEAR
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 Dec 2011
Mercito Gesta arrived Tuesday in his hometown of Mandaue City, Cebu for a much needed vacation after a busy year in the ring. The undefeated boxer is fresh from a rousing 10 round UD victory of Mexican, Ricardo Dominguez in Las Vegas last month. His bout with Dominguez was Gesta?s fourth fight in 2011. The win improved his record to 24-0-1 but much more, it brings him closer to his goal as a boxer. That is, to fight for a title shot. ?That is my goal man. That is my dream,? Gesta told me. ?I heard and hope that they (Top Rank) will give me a title shot in the division,? he added.
2010 and 2011 have been very productive years for Gesta. Five out of his eight fights in this two-year span resulted in KO/TKO?s for him, fueling interest on the Cebuano fighter. That interest reached Top Rank?s head honchos and ended with Gesta signing a multi-year contract with the company last June. He has headlined and co-headlined two Top Rank events so far this year. Besides the fight with Dominguez in Las Vegas on the eve of the Manny Pacquiao - Juan Manuel Marquez bout, he also headlined a September 17 Top Rank and Fox Sports event in Arizona this year.
The fight with Dominguez is a big plus on Gesta?s resume. He defeated a tough fighter whose only losses are from the best of the lightweight division. He dropped Dominguez once during the fight and dominated him en route to the victory. A performance he rates as his best so far. ?I?ll do 10; I did my best in there. But I know that I?m still going to improve more in my future fights. I gave my best in that fight,? he remarked.
?Dominguez is smart, he is tough. It looks like he is kind of easy but once you are in the ring with him, you will learn man,? was his reply when I asked him to describe his last opponent. ?I needed to be real quick to get inside him because when he backed off, he was pushing me a little. He had some tactics in there that night,? Gesta added.
The experience of fighting a fighter with Dominguez?s caliber will definitely prepare Gesta in his future fights. ?That fight helped me a lot. His experience and his style will help me a lot especially when I go the distance again in my future fights. This fight and my fight with Perez will definitely help me improve as a fighter,? he said.
Gesta is slowly building his name as one of the country?s best prospects. His fight with Dominguez was supported by a large number of Filipinos who happen to be in Las Vegas that weekend. One thing that the Cebuano is very grateful for. ?I am so thankful of the fans who have watched my last fight in Vegas, those that watch in the Philippines and also online. Hopefully, they will continue to support me,? he said. ?I also hoped that they support the other Filipino fighters who represent the Philippines as well,? he added.
Gesta made it clear that his mission in 2012 is to take over the lightweight division. But for now, he will be with family and friends in his hometown as he plans to spend and enjoy the forthcoming holidays with them. He is scheduled to be back in San Diego in late January to start yet another busy and hopefully another successful year for the fighter out of Mandaue City.
Photo: Gesta (2nd from right) poses with the author (right) and fans after his victory over Dominguez at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino last month. Photo by Jhay Otamias.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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