By Ryan Maquiñana
A pair of young, unbeaten fighters will headline the latest edition of “Top Rank Live” on Sept. 17 at the BlueWater Casino in Parker, Ariz., when lightweight contender Mercito Gesta and junior welterweight prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. appear in separate bouts against opponents to be determined.
According to Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler, the San Diego-based Gesta (22-0-1, 12 KOs) will return to the ring for the main event after the Filipino only needed three rounds to impressively stop Jorge Pimentel in his Top Rank debut last Saturday on the undercard of Brandon Rios vs. Urbano Antillon.
In the co-feature, Phoenix native Benavidez (12-0, 11 KOs) will look to build on the momentum of a fourth-round technical knockout of Corey Alarcon in nearby Chandler, Ariz., last month.
“It feels good to be fighting in front of family and friends again,” said Benavidez. “I’ll be traveling to Los Angeles to start camp on Wednesday.”
Hanzel "El Tornadito" Martinez of Tijuana, Mex. (12-0, 10 KOs) will appear in a special attraction bout.
Showdown Promotions will promote the card in association with Top Rank.
