Photo by Golden Boy Promotions
On Saturday, April 1, 2017, former Lightweight title challenger Mercito Gesta (30-1-2, 16 KOs) scored a 10-round unanimous decision victory against Gilberto Gonzalez (26-4, 22 KOs) at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight was the co-main event of the second ever edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN.
Gesta, a 35-year-old native of the Philippines, won the fight on his boxing skills alone, using his southpaw jab, footwork, and quick combinations to hurt, stun, and make Gonzalez, a 29-year-old native of Mexico, a bloody mess for 10 rounds.
Though Gesta was dropped in Round 3, the knockdown seems to have been caused by his lack of balance. Nevertheless, Gesta clearly dominated Gonzalez, who had trouble cutting the ring and often got caught while throwing wide and ugly punches.
“I listened to my corner in the fight, and never let my opponent get too close,” said Gesta.
“I’m happy with the outcome and I plan to lie low after this.”
Gesta has fought for a world title previously, so one can assume that he’ll be in the mix once again in the future.
Undercard Action
On tonight’s undercard, Joet Gonzalez scored an fifth-round TKO victory against Derrick Murray.
“Going in, I wanted to be smart and cut him off,” said Gonzalez. “Overall, this was a great fight and I’m happy to have another victory.”
Emilio Sanchez, another Golden Boy prospect, scored an eighth-round TKO victory against Jose Bustos.
“My plan going in to the fight was to be smart and not get hit,” said Sanchez.
“I didn’t plan on knocking him out in the last round, the knockout came on its own, and I’m happy with the outcome.”
In tonight’s swing bout, Cesar Diaz scored a six-round unanimous decision victory against Felipe Rivas.
“I think this was a good fight,” said Diaz.
“I knew going in he was an experienced fighter, so it was good for me to learn from this and know how to improve for next time.”
Check out Highlights from Gesta-Gonzalez below:
Mercito Gesta defeats Gilberto Gonzalez by unanimous decision. Scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 96-94. #Boxing #GBPonESPN pic.twitter.com/w4oM4KHKSr
— RoundByRoundBoxing (@RBRBoxing) April 2, 2017
