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Mercito Gesta Defeats Joel Diaz, Jr. Via Unanimous Decision
To A Sold-Out Crowd At Fantasy Springs
Golden Boy returned to its Coachella Valley home at Fantasy
Springs Resort Casino with an exciting night of boxing to a
sold-out boisterous crowd. The main event of the night
featured an eventful 10-round lightweight fight between
Palmdale’s Joel Diaz, Jr. (26-2, 22 KOs) and San Diego’s
Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs). The first round
started off very active as Gesta knocked Diaz, Jr. to the
canvas twice, with Diaz, Jr. struggling to maintain his
balance. Saved by the bell, Diaz, Jr. recovered and
performed excellently in the second round, cornering Gesta
and visibly hurting him. As the fighters grew more
comfortable in the ring, they traded blows staying in the
pocket, both relentless. The fighters brought the cheering
crowd to their feet with their fearless performances as the
judges determined their fate. With scores of 93-95, 92-96,
and 92-96, the judges ruled in favor of Mercito Gesta,
crowning him the victor via unanimous decision. The fight
was streamed live on DAZN and on the Golden Boy Boxing
Youtube paged, hosted by Beto Duran and Victor Morales.
“I feel energized, knowing I have an upcoming baby that has
made me want to go back in the ring,” said Mercito Gesta.
“We have been trying for six years, and we are blessed with
this new life. I am so happy. When they said that there is
ring rust, I don’t think I have that because I have been
working hard and staying in shape. Joel Diaz, Jr. is a tough
fighter, and winning and having such a great performance is
going to open the doors for me in the sport.”
“Mercito is a tough opponent,” said Joel Diaz, Jr. “I was
giving him a lot of hard punches, but I couldn’t catch him.
There is still a lot that I need to work on, focusing on
landing my punches and staying patient. I was going out
there looking for the kill, but that’s not always going to
happen.”
In the co-main event of the night Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez
(12-0-1, 11 KOs) from Glendora, CA, faced an experienced
Jairo Lopez (27-15, 17 KOs) of Apodaca, Mexico. The exciting
fight featured Lopez hitting the canvas in the second round
and Lopez opening a gash on Gonzalez’s right eye with a head
butt. The two warriors continued to trade blows in the
fourth and the fifth rounds. In the sixth round, as Lopez
was stepping back from an attack, the referee called off the
fight, awarding Gonzalez the victory via KO at the 2:29 mark
of the round.
“I give my performance a six out of ten,” said Jousce
Gonzalez. “This is my first fight back, and I know I can do
better. He is a very resilient fighter, but I knew I was
landing my shots and hurting him. I knew he was taking some
punishment, so I wasn’t surprised when the referee waved the
fight off. I am just happy to be back in the ring and want
to aim to fight big names in the division.”
Local fan favorite Manuel “Manny” Flores (12-0, 9 KOs) of
Coachella, CA, took on the experienced Victor Ruiz (23-13,
16 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico. The scheduled 8-round super
bantamweight fight did not go the distance as Flores knocked
out Ruiz in the third round, to win via knock out at the
2:21 marker.
“I am so happy to be here and fight in front of all my
family and friends,” said Manuel Flores. “I want to thank
all the local fans that came out to support; it gives me
much more motivation to continue fighting.”
Also, part of the DAZN live stream, Los Cabos, Mexico’s Jan
Salvatierra (8-1, 4 KOs) participated in a scheduled 6-round
flyweight fight against Ernie Marquez (10-18-2, 3 KOs) from
Fort Morgan, CO. In the second round, after a knockdown,
Marquez complained of ankle pain, and his corner called off
the fight. Salvatierra was awarded the victory via TKO at
the 2:26 marker.
“First of all I want to thank God and Golden Boy for the
opportunity to fight tonight,” said Jan Salvatierra. “We
have had a great training camp, preparing since January for
anything that could pop up. We trained to go the distance. I
was expecting more from my opponent, hoping that his
experience would bring more to the table. But unfortunately
he sustained an injury and things happen for a reason. I
want to be active for the rest of the year and hopefully
fight for a regional title soon.”
In the night's opening fight, San Diego’s top prospect Jorge
Chavez (2-0, 2 KOs) faced Jonathan Tejeda (0-2) of Mexico
City in a scheduled 4-round super featherweight fight.
Tejeda hit the canvas in the second round, with the referee
waving the fight off at the 1:04 marker, awarding Chavez his
second victory via knock-out.
“I loved being able to fight at Fantasy Springs; all my
friends and family were able to come to see me in a more
intimate venue,” said Jorge Chavez. “I am happy I got the
victory, but every fight is a learning experience. We will
continue to grow, learn, and just get better and better
every fight.”
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