By Jake Donovan

Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta promised to put on a show for the hometown crowd and lived up to his word, even if the entertainment didn’t last for very long.

Two knockdown and a furious assault from the opening bell paved the way for Gesta remaining undefeated, stopping veteran Ivan Valle inside of two rounds Friday evening at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in San Diego, California.

Gesta boasts a modest knockout-to-win ratio, but has never disappointed on the action front. Friday evening was no exception, as the Filipino had knockout on his mind from the very beginning.

The fight was his first back in his adopted hometown of San Diego since a tune-up earlier this year, but quickly familiarized himself with his surroundings. Gesta came out with both guns blazing, never giving the hard-hitting Valle a chance to test his chin.

Instead, it was the normally durable Mexican whose whiskers were put to the test. On this particular evening, they would fail him miserably.

There was little among Gesta’s arsenal that didn’t find its way to Valle’s chin, eventually dropping the veteran with a compact right hook midway through the round. Valle beat referee Pat Russell’s count, but never fully recovered, nor would he land another meaningful punch on the evening.

The second knockdown came moments later. Gesta landed a flurry of punches, with a straight left providing the most damage, and a follow up right hook serving as the cherry on top as Valle would once again find himself on the mat.

Valle again rose to his feet, this time making it to the final bell. However, his staggering to his corner in between rounds prompted a thorough examination from Russell as well as the ringside physician. Apparently he followed the doctor’s finger well enough to buy one more shot at redemption, but was still clearly buzzed when the second round began.

Perhaps Gesta has a Ph.D tucked away somewhere that nobody knows about. His actions clearly indicated that he was well aware of Valle being ripe for the taking, pouncing on his wounded prey and not letting up until the Mexican was able to clinch long and hard enough to prompt a break in the action.

Sadly, it wasn’t enough to buy him any more time. Even in backing up a few feet, he was still too shaken up to walk a straight line, a sight picked up by the corner inspector, who stepped on the ring apron to stop the onslaught.

The official time was 0:34 of the second round.

Previously never known as a puncher, Gesta continues to rack up the crowd-pleasing endings. The stoppage win was his third straight and seventh of his past nine fights as he cruises to 20-0-1 (10KO).

Valle was chosen as an opponent in hopes that he would test Gesta’s chin and find out whether or not the Filipino can take a punch. Instead, the 30-year old continues to fall on hard times. His record dips to 28-10-3 (24KO), now winless in his last four fights (0-2-2 during that stretch), with his last win coming 52 weeks ago.

While it’s still unknown whether or not Gesta can survive rocky waters, his dominant performance confirms his handlers’ pre-fight belief that he was ready to advance from fights on this level.

The goal for next year is to begin building towards a major title shot. Chances are that the rising lightweight contender, who just turned 23 two weeks ago, has fought his last bout of 2010.

His last call for the year didn’t last very long, but was still enough to send everyone home happy.

OTHER TELEVISED ACTION

Unbeaten super bantamweight prospect Michael “Li’l Warrior” Franco looked sharp in picking apart veteran Alfredo Landeros, scoring a wide unanimous decision in the televised co-feature.

The Riverside native showed little signs of ring rust in what was his first bout since last November. Landeros was game throughout, but no match for Franco’s youth and controlled aggression, particularly digging body shots that hurt the hard-lucked veteran, who braved the attack long enough to last to the final bell.

Scores were 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74, all in favor of Franco, who improves to 17-0 (11KO).

Landeros suffers his sixth straight loss, dating back to mid-2008, as he falls to 20-16-1 (9KO).

In a spirited battle between a pair of super bantamweights making their pro debut, Christian Bojorquez emerged victorious with a majority decision over Salvador Cifuentes. Scores were 38-38 even, and 40-39 and 39-37 for Bojorquez, from nearby Tijuana.

The show was presented by Don Chargin Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions and aired live on Telefutura.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.