Fan Appreciation Night at Wings N Things

Fan Appreciation Night at Wings N Things

It was definitely an “EPIC” night as Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta showed appreciation to all his No Mercy fans at Epic Wings N’ Things in Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego, CA.  Hundreds of fans lined up to greet, hug, and shake hands with the WBO NABO Lightweight Champion.  No Mercy fans were treated with complimentary food from Epic Wings N’ Things, thanks to owner Greg Sacco, giveaways from Adidas Boxing thanks to Roger at Legendz Boxing and Mario from Cleto Reyes San Diego, and special thanks to Tom Hogan for the fight night photo.  On behalf of Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta, THANK YOU to all the fans for such a wonderful night, and can’t wait until our next event.

Check out EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS from the event.

Photo Credit:  Kaela Santiago

Mercito Gesta gets 10-round majority decision over Roberto Manzanarez

Mercito Gesta gets 10-round majority decision over Roberto Manzanarez

Photo Credit:  Hogan Photos
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Checkout Exclusive Pre-Fight Photos and Fight Photos
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Source:  ESPN – http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/23796865/mercito-no-mercy-gesta-beats-roberto-tito-manzanarez-manny-chato-robles-iii-stops-edgar-kid-neza-valerio
ESPN Staff Writer:  Nigel Collins

Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta made the first step toward a third shot at a world title by scoring a 10-round majority decision over Roberto “Tito” Manzanarez in a lightweight bout Thursday. The fight headlined a Golden Boy on ESPN card at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

Gesta, 30, was coming off a decision loss to then-lightweight titleholder Jorge Linares on Jan. 27 and was eager to make a good impression. It was not, however, the sort of performance he was looking for. Manzanarez, of Phoenix, Arizona, made good use of his height and reach advantage to keep the aggressive Gesta at long range for most of the untidy bout.

The 23-year-old Manzanarez (36-2, 29 KOs) spent most of the fight in retreat, using lateral movement, slippery boxing and repeated clinches to give Gesta (32-2-2, 17 KOs) a frustrating evening. Manzanarez peppered his onrushing adversary with left jabs and right hands to the body but never hurt or slowed him down.

Gesta, a Filipino living in San Diego, kept pressing forward but had great difficulty connecting. He stepped up the pace of his attack the final four rounds and landed enough leaping blows to convince two of the judges he’d done enough to win. The scores were 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95.

According to CompuBox, Gesta landed 119 punches, compared to 144 for Manzanarez, though Gesta’s blows appeared to be more powerful.

In the co-feature, Manny “Chato” Robles III stopped Edgar “Kid Neza” Valerio at the 2:31 mark of the ninth round in a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.

Both boxers entered the bout undefeated, but Robles (16-0, 8 KOs) dominated, scoring knockdowns in the third and ninth rounds.

The 23-year-old Valerio (13-1, 8 KOs) managed to land a couple of solid left hooks but never came close to turning the fight in his favor. Robles was too smart and too quick for him.

A straight right to the jaw dropped, Valerio, of Los Angeles, in the ninth round. He managed to beat the count, but Robles quickly trapped him in a corner and unloaded with a flurry of unanswered blows.

When the 24-year-old Robles, of Paramount, California, buckled Valerio’s knees with another right to the chin, referee Eddie Hernandez Jr. halted the bout to save him from additional punishment.

Mercito Gesta vs. Robert Manzanarez Weigh-In

Mercito Gesta vs. Robert Manzanarez Weigh-In

Check out Exclusive Weigh-In Photos

Source URL Credit:  https://www.ringtv.com/537724-mercito-gesta-roberto-manzanarez-crossroads-bout-headlines-gbp-on-espn-tonight/
Author:  Francisco Salazar
Photo Credit:  Hogan Photos

Mercito Gesta makes no excuses regarding his loss to Jorge Linares on January 27. The Filipino-American is convinced the fight will make him a better fighter in the long run.

That remains to be seen. In the short-term, Gesta needs to take of business tonight when he faces Robert Manzanarez at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. The 10-round lightweight bout will air live on ESPN (8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT).

At Thursday’s weigh-in, both fighters tipped the scale at 134.8 pounds.

Gesta (31-2-2, 21 knockouts), a southpaw from the Philippines who resides in the San Diego area, saw his six-bout unbeaten streak end with the loss to Linares. Gesta was compelled to get back in the gym after spending time after the Linares fight in Hawaii on his honeymoon with his newly-married wife.

“I was really motivated to get back in the ring after the Linares fight,” Gesta told THE RING earlier this week. “I really got going in early April when the fight was close to being announced.”

Gesta, who is trained by Freddie Roach, self-assessed himself after the Linares fight, where certain adjustments needed to be addressed.

“I learned a lot in the Linares fight,” said Gesta, who is currently not ranked by any of the major sanctioning bodies. “I could take a punch from Linares, who is one of the best lightweights in boxing. The fight gave me greater confidence and that I belong in the category of contender. Losing to Linares is part of the game, but I accept it and I know I’ll bounce back.”

Gesta will face a fighter in Manzanarez (36-1, 29 KOs), who himself has put together an impressive streak of victories. Manzanarez has won his last 15 bouts and now lives and trains in the Phoenix area.

Gesta, who will be at a significant height and reach disadvantage, believes a loss against Manzanarez will end any thought of not only winning but fighting for a world title belt.

“I know Manzanarez is not an easy opponent to prepare for. He has height, reach, but the scary thing is he’s hungry. I have to be more careful because he knows how to get inside. I don’t even look at Roberto Manzanarez as a stepping stone.”

In the opening ‘GBP on ESPN’ bout, featherweights Edgar Valerio and Manny Robles III will square off in a highly-anticipated 10 round bout.

The clash of unbeaten Southern California fighters could produce fireworkds early on in the fight. Valerio (13-0, 8 KOs) has stopped four of his last five bouts while Robles (15-0, 7 KOs) has knocked out his last three opponents.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV.com since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing

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