Mercito Gesta Shows “No Mercy” In Stoppage Of Trazancos

By Jake Donovan

Undefeated 140 lb. prospect Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta made the most of his upgrade to main event status on Friday night’s Telefutura broadcast, scoring a one-punch seventh round stoppage of Genaro Trazancos at the Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.

The bout was fought at a moderate pace most of the way through before Gesta turned up the heat in the seventh. Trazancos tried to play the role of aggressor while Gesta boxed, but was there to be hit all night and wound up getting caught in a big way.

A right hook began the rally, followed by a left to push him towards center ring. Gesta scored with another straight left hand seconds later, landing flush enough to put Trazancos down and leave him buzzed enough to struggle to his feet as he was being counted out.

The official time was 0:53 of the seventh round.

Gesta improves to 19-0-1 (9KO) with the win; Trazancos falls to 22-12-1 (13KO), having now suffered knockout losses in both of his ring appearances in 2010. He is 2-8 over his last 10 fights dating back to 2003.

Heading in the opposite direction, Gesta’s stock continues to rise. As is the case with any Filipino fighter in the Manny Pacquiao era, major buzz surrounds each of his fights, asking if he could be “the next…” but it’s clear that Gesta is aiming to create an identity of his own.

Having turned pro at age 16, Gesta is now seven years deep into the sport, which partially explains his handler’s insistence that a title shot is in his near future. The other part has to do with the talent he already possesses while still a couple of months shy of his 23rd birthday.

An upgrade in competition would certainly help his cause. His fourth round knockout of Oscar Meza two months ago was a step in the right direction, but Trazancos is basically the type of opponent fans have come to expect (though not necessarily accept) when tuning into the modern version of “Solo Boxeo Tecate.”

Worth mentioning, though, is that the bout was only the substitute main event, grabbing top billing after a torn retina forced undefeated featherweight Michael Franco out of the headliner and off of the show late in the promotion.

Franco was scheduled to face Alfredo Landeros, who remained on the show but was dropped to the co-feature. Under normal circumstances, such a change in plans would result in a win against an overmatched last minute foe.

Instead, Landeros suffered an early knockdown and was outboxed throughout his bout with Noe Lopez, a .500 fighter who accepted the fight on short notice and pulled off a minor upset with a decision win.

Scores for the eight-round makeshift co-feature were 79-72 (twice) and 78-73 for Lopez.

The loss is Landeros’ fifth straight, as his less-than-glamorous record dips to 20-14-1 (9KO). Lopez creeps back up above .500, improving to 6-5 (4KO) with his first win of 2010 after having lost five of his last six to close out his 2009 campaign.

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