San Diego’s adopted son by way of Mandaue City (Cebu), Phillipines, Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta is one of the hottest young Filipino phenoms on the brink of prominence. The 22-Year-old southpaw fighter is 18-0-1 with 8 knockouts and arrived in the US in 2006 when he was brought over by Top Rank Boxing and adviser to Manny Pacquiao, Michael Koncz.
The plan was for Mercito to fight alongside fellow Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao on Manny’s undercards. This however did not happened for reasons unknown to me and it looks like America’s finest city has become the benefactor to the latter not coming to fruition. Mercito decided to follow his long time trainer and fellow countrymen Carl Penalosa when the trainer moved his operations to San Diego. Gesta and Penalosa go all the way back to when Mercito was 15-years-old back in Cebu.
Gesta decided to take a different route then most of his Filipino contemporaries, leaving the glitz of Los Angeles, CA, where he would undoubtedly excel with his good looks and crowd pleasing fighting style to carve out his own path. While many think the former would be the easiest route to stardom, Mercito opted for the more subdued city of San Diego, CA, to hone and refine his skills under Penalosa and co-manager Vincent Parra.
Parra states, “he is not really a star struck type of kid, he does not feel like he needs this guy or that guy, he is out here on his own merits, and he has his own plan.” This says a lot about the young Filipino sensation, most of all that he is confident in his skills and doesn’t need all the chaos that goes along with being in a big crowded market. He believes he can get to the promise land on his own terms and you have to respect a guy that does things through the way of faith and hard work as opposed to easy connections. This isn’t to say Gesta has no connections, he has some of the best. He periodically trains with Wild Card Gym founder and renowned trainer Freddie Roach, usually for 3-week increments in the weeks leading up to his fights and as said earlier, he was brought over by Top Rank. Mercito has just chosen not to rely so heavily on connections but instead count on perseverance and patience.
The sport needs more fighters like this that carve their own path through hard work, loyalty and above all else, patience. Gesta has allowed and trusted his handlers to look out for his best interest and the pace he has been moved along at will do him wonders as his career progresses to bigger and better things.
While Gesta is humble, he knows his abilities as do those around him and you would think deep down he has been chomping at the bit to showcase his skills to the rest of the world. But where many fighters with the raw talents of a guy like Mercito might get caught up in the whirlwind of hype surrounding them, pushing themselves into the lime-light before all the tools are there, Gesta has been patient honing every aspect of his game. There is so much more to boxing then stepping into a ring and throwing hands. Things like mastering defense and learning to overcome adversity with adjustments when your offensive gifts are not enough, increasing mental-strength with experience. Things like learning to deal with the media, being financially aware and understanding the politics and many obligations to the sport, sponsors and handlers. The list goes on and on and it is just this comprehension that is admirable about Gesta and so far “No Mercy” seems to be flourishing under the direction of Penalosa, Parra and team Gesta.
Mercito’s placidity and perseverance has paid off as he appears to be ready to take the next step towards top level competition and recognition. The left-handed lightweight is 18-0-1 with 8 knockouts and fights to finish off opponents, he has five knockouts in his last seven fights. One I was privy to at the Hard Rock Hotel on May 21, 2009, when he fought Alain Hernandez (18-8-2, 10KOs), whom Mercito destroyed in :44 seconds. Gesta was on a mission that night and had the San Diego crowd in an uproar and though it was short, it was exciting. Mercito looks like a future world champion and San Diego is happy to have him as their own. I haven’t seen a local fighter with this much star power since three-time world champion “Terrible” Terry Norris. Rogue Boxing Promotions president Derek Pierce, commented on Mercito saying, “he is a fast and very athletic fighter with excellent boxing instincts. He’s one of the best kept secrets to come out of the Philippine Islands.”
On June 4th at the A La Carte Pavillion in Tampa, FL, Gesta claimed his first belt, the WBO North American Boxing Organization youth title and he did it in merciless fashion. Mercito defeated the tough Oscar Meza by fourth-round TKO when Meza would not answer the round-five bell after being battered all over the ring by the compact pug. Up next for the Filipino prospect will be a “stay busy fight” as described by Parra against journeyman Genaro Trazancos (22-11-1, 7KOs), in a ten round contest on Friday, August 20th, at the Casino del Sol in Tucson, AZ. The main event fight will be presented by Don Chargin Promotions in association with Jorge Marron Productions and Golden Boy Promotions, and will be televised by Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo Tecate.”
I spoke with Gesta’s co-mananger Vincent Parra recently who is currently in Los Angeles, CA, with his pupil working at the famed Wild Card Gym in preparation for the upcoming “Solo Boxeo Tecate” main event. Parra relayed that team Gesta is focused only on hard work and keeping distractions at bay. He stated, “training camp is going great” and added, “Mercito is patient and knows his time will come.” Gesta has been quoted saying, “my one dream is to become a world champion so people will know me. Since I was a kid my father dreamed of me becoming a world champion.”
That dream could be realized very soon as there has been talks of Gesta possibly fighting Australian stand-out Michael Katsidis (27-2, 22KOs), for the World Boxing Organization lightweight title which might be vacated by champion Juan Manuel Marquez. According to reports, the World Boxing Organization has ordered Marquez to defend his strap against Katsidis but Marquez may instead leave the division and the belt behind to seek a big fight with Amir Khan at 140lbs. Additional accounts have Golden Boy Promotions interested in a possible Gesta-Katsidis contest for the vacated belt as early as January.
Parra accepts that chances of a Gesta-Katsidis clash are slim stating, “a Katsidis fight is a long shot because he is chasing big names for the big money but we feel with the next two fights and some good performances, Golden Boy will get behind us to make the fight happen.” Whether the Katsidis fight is realized or not, with a few good performances on the 20th, against Trazancos and another against a yet to be named opponent in September in San Diego, Gesta will get his opportunities against the big names. Promoter Don Chargin will have Gesta back in the squared circle quickly after the Trazancos fight when he will have him defend his WBO North American Boxing Organization youth title against a still unknown competitor on September 17th.
Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta is a terrific fighter who boast exceptional boxing skills while possessing all the qualities of a future star. Slowly but surely Gesta has crept up the ladder and looks to punch his way into your living room soon.
All Photos by Raymond Rodriguez