Gesta might have a new foe on April 14. (Chris Farina)
By Ryan Maquiñana
BoxingScene.com
Unbeaten lightweight contender Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta
might not be facing Luis Arceo on April 14 after all, according to his
manager/trainer Vincent Parra.
“Arceo’s tough as nails, and he’d be a good opponent, but
from my understanding there’s a couple other names that are in the mix now. He’ll still be on the card, but Mercito might
be fighting someone else at the end of the day,” he told BoxingScene.com
Wednesday morning.
Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KOs), a 24-year-old Filipino southpaw
based out of San Diego, Calif., was slated to see action in Las Vegas before
the Brandon Rios-Yuriorkis Gamboa main event, which as of the moment is in
flux.
Arceo, a 33-year-old from Aguascalientes, Mexico, who now
resides a stone’s throw away from Gesta in San Ysidro, Calif., is coming off an
eighth-round knockout of Misael Castillo last month. A year ago, he battled Ricardo Dominguez—who dropped
a lopsided decision to Gesta back in November—to a split decision loss.
Gesta, who will be fighting under the Top Rank banner for
the fourth time, has seen his name pop up in discussions to fight Mexico’s Juan
Manuel Marquez on July 14 in Arlington, Texas, at the gargantuan Cowboys
Stadium.
By that time, Marquez might be in possession of the WBO
interim junior welterweight belt, which in all likelihood will become the
full-fledged title if current holder Timothy Bradley continues to campaign at
welterweight following his June 9 fight with Manny Pacquiao.
The Mexican legend meets Argentine Rene Cuenca for the
vacant strap, also on April 14, but in Mexico City.
Whether or not Gesta is on a collision course to meet
Marquez, it is becoming readily apparent that his next fight will serve as a de
facto audition for the major networks on his viability in such a role. Parra outlined his fighter’s plans for the
summer.
“We think we’re ready for a title shot now, and this fight
is going to show that,” he said. “As far
as July 14, it doesn’t matter if it’s a title shot at 135 pounds against a
Miguel Vazquez or at 140 against Marquez.
He’s hungry to show what he can do.”
Gesta is currently in camp, which is taking place in San
Diego and has involved several local fighters, including featherweight Aaron
Garcia (10-3-2, 2 KOs), junior welterweight Adrian Vargas, and Tijuana-based
junior lightweight Emilio Bojorquez (19-1, 13 KOs). Highly regarded 140-pound prospect Antonio
Orozco (13-0, 9 KOs) has pledged to coming in for sparring next week.
