Gesta and Arceo Ready For Battle in San Francisco

By Ryan Maquiñana

Mercito Gesta makes his return to San Francisco’s Longshoremen’s Hall on Friday night, when he headlines a Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes-televised “Golden Boy Live” card against Luis Arceo.

At Thursday’s weigh-in, which took place at nearby Madame Tussauds in Fisherman’s Wharf, Gesta (27-1-1, 15 KOs) tipped the scales at 138.5 pounds, while Arceo (28-12-4, 18 KOs) came in at 137 for the scheduled 10-round clash.

Gesta, who seemingly fell off the map after a lopsided decision loss to IBF lightweight titleholder Miguel Vazquez in December 2012, reunited with promoters Don Chargin and Paco Damian in April, logging an eighth-round stoppage of Edgar Riovalle.

Now campaigning at junior welterweight, the southpaw from Cebu, Philippines, who now calls San Diego home, will come back to the same venue where he overwhelmed Genaro Trazancos in 2011. Arceo, from Tijuana, Mexico, had a six-bout unbeaten streak snapped last October at the hands of undefeated prospect Jose Zepeda.

In the co-feature, San Francisco junior welterweight Jonathan Chicas (13-1, 6 KOs), who hails from the Mission District, meets unbeaten Emmanuel Robles (10-0-1, 3 KOs), who makes the trip north from San Diego for an intriguing battle of prospects. Both weighed 142 pounds.

Another TV bout involves gargantuan Chinese heavyweight Taishan Dong, a former kickboxer who stands a shade under 7 feet tall and will make his pro boxing debut against Alex Rozman (2-6, 1 KO) of Minneapolis.

No less than 10 Northern or Central California fighters will see action on the card: Chicas, middleweight Ricardo Pinell (San Francisco), junior lightweight Andy Vences (San Jose), junior welterweight Arturo Quintero (San Jose), female junior lightweight Laura Deanovic (San Francisco), cruiserweight Fabian Melendez (San Carlos), Payton Boyea (Sacramento), Benjamin Briceno (Hayward), Joel Siapno (San Leandro) and Jesus Sanchez (Fresno).

WEIGHTS:

Mercito Gesta 138.5 vs. Luis Arceo 137, junior welterweights, 10 rounds

Jonathan Chicas 142 vs. Emmanuel Robles 142, junior welterweights, 8 rounds

Taishan Dong* 287 vs. Alex Rozman 255, heavyweights, 4 rounds

Ricardo Pinell 157 vs. Jamal Harris 163, middleweights, 6 rounds

Andy Vences 131.5 vs. Adolfo Landeros 130, junior lightweights, 6 rounds

Arturo Quintero 136 vs. Mario Hermosillo 140, junior welterweights, 6 rounds

Laura Deanovic 129.5 vs. Celene Roman 127, female junior lightweights, 4 rounds

Fabian Melendez* 189.5 vs. Payton Boyea 190, cruiserweights, 4 rounds

Benjamin Briceno 123 vs. Walter Santibanes 124, featherweights, 4 rounds

Joel Siapno* 152 vs. Jesus Sanchez*, junior middleweights, 4 rounds

*making pro debut

FIGHT DATE: Friday, July 18, 2014

VENUE: Longshoremen’s Hall, San Francisco, California

TV: Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes

TIME: Doors open 6 p.m. PT; telecast begins 7 p.m. PT

PROMOTER: Don Chargin/Paco Presents/Golden Boy

TICKETS: pacopresentsboxing.com

Follow Ryan Maquiñana on Twitter @RMaq28 or email him at rmaquinana@gmail.com.