By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino southpaw Mercito Gesta, who says ring hero Manny Pacquiao has been his inspiration, proved a point when he scored a crushing first round TKO over Tijuana’s 2008 "Prospect of the Year" Adrian "Konan" Hernandez at the Woodstock Terrace of the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego, California .
The San Diego Fights website reported that Gesta exploded with a flurry pf punches after circling Hernandez in the opening seconds and then catching the Mexican with a series of jabs that "Konan" never saw coming because of the Filipino’s hand speed.
SD Fights said Gesta, sensing that Hernandez was in trouble, unleashed a barrage of punches that prompted referee Pat Russel to hug Hernandez to apparently prevent him from absorbing any more punishment. The end came at :44 seconds of the opening round.
Hernandez strongly protested the stoppage while some fans thought it was premature but Russell insisted "he (Hernandez) was out on his feet."
Gesta in a post-fight interview said he was "surprised it ended so early. I was ready for a tougher fight. I didn’t even get hit."
With the win Gesta improved his unbeaten record to 15-0-1 with 6 knockouts while Hernandez who suffered his first defeat in eighteen months dropped to 14-7-2 with 7 knockouts.
Gesta was formerly with the Stonewall Boxing Gym of American Terry Carter and partner Joy Ouano in Liloan, Cebu.
Gesta now lives in San Diego and is trained by Carl Penalosa, the elder brother of former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa.