Photo by Hogans Photos
Carlos Molina (17-2-1, 7 KOs) takes on Mercito Gesta (28-1-1, 16 KOs) next Thursday at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.
The scheduled 10-round Lightweight fight will headline a Golden Boy Promotions card that will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
Molina, 29, is coming off two losses, but against opponents much larger than he.
In 2012 he suffered a stoppage loss to Amir Khan and in 2014 he lost to Adrien Broner, but both were at the 140-pound division and not at his natural weight class of 135.
As he returns to Lightweight, Molina feels he is ready for the best in his division, which for him means a fight with WBC champion Jorge Linares.
“I want to fight the best out there, and the best 135-pounder would be Jorge Linares. I want to see him in the ring,” said Molina at a recent media workout.
But first, the San Diego-based fighter will have to take on Gesta, a Filipino 27-year-old who is coming off two stoppage wins.
“Gesta is a fast fighter, a southpaw, but once I let my hands fly he will feel that non-stop pressure, I will overwhelm him,” said confident Molina.
It is unclear whether a win against Gesta will put him for a world title, but Molina is nonetheless confident about his prospects in the Lightweight division.
As for Linares, he is scheduled to fight Kevin Mitchell on May 30 at the O2 Arena in London.
