In an exciting toe-to-toe war, Mercito Gesta won a 10-round unanimous decision over Joel Diaz Jr. in a lightweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Hotel Resort in Indio, California
In round one, Gesta dropped Diaz with a right. Later in the round, Gesta landed a hard flurry that was followed up with a left that sent Diaz into the ropes for a second knockdown. In round two, Gesta was cut on the bridge of his nose.
In round six, Diaz was swelling from his let eye and bleeding from his mouth. Diaz was able to get in some good offense, but every time the fight tide seemed to be turning, Gesta would land either a hard straight left or a nice right hook. The two thrilled the crowd to the final bell.
Gesta landed 197 of 630 punches; Diaz was 172 of 613.
Gesta, 134.8 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 96-92 twice and 95-93 and is now 33-3-3. Diaz, 134.6 lbs of Palmdale, CA is 26-3.
“I feel energized, knowing I have an upcoming baby that has made me want to go back in the ring,” said Mercito Gesta. “We have been trying for six years, and we are blessed with this new life. I am so happy. When they said that there is ring rust, I don’t think I have that because I have been working hard and staying in shape. Joel Diaz, Jr. is a tough fighter, and winning and having such a great performance is going to open the doors for me in the sport.”
“Mercito is a tough opponent,” said Joel Diaz, Jr. “I was giving him a lot of hard punches, but I couldn’t catch him. There is still a lot that I need to work on, focusing on landing my punches and staying patient. I was going out there looking for the kill, but that’s not always going to happen.”
Jousce Gonzalez stopped Jairo Lopez in round six, of their eight-round lightweight bout.
In round two, Gonzalez dropped Lopez with an uppercut. In round three, Gonzalez dropped a now-bloody Lopez with a combination. In round five, Gonzalez started to bleed around his right eye.
In round six, Gonzalez landed a big flurry that was punctuated by a big uppercut and the fight was stopped at 2:29.
Gonzalez, 134.4 lbs of Covina, CA is 12-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Lopez, 133.2 lbs of Apodaca, MEX is 27-15.
“I give my performance a six out of ten,” said Jousce Gonzalez. “This is my first fight back, and I know I can do better. He is a very resilient fighter, but I knew I was landing my shots and hurting him. I knew he was taking some punishment, so I wasn’t surprised when the referee waved the fight off. I am just happy to be back in the ring and want to aim to fight big names in the division.”
Manuel Flores remained undefeated with a third-round stoppage over Victor Ruiz in a scheduled eight-round super bantamweight bout.
In round three, Flores dropped Ruiz with a hard combination. Seconds later, it was a big left that sent Ruiz to the canvas. Finally it was a straight left that put Ruiz down and the fight was stopped at 2:21.
Flores, 119.4 lbs of Coachella, CA is now 12-0 with nine knockouts. Ruiz, 119.6 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 23-13.
“I am so happy to be here and fight in front of all my family and friends,” said Manuel Flores. “I want to thank all the local fans that came out to support; it gives me much more motivation to continue fighting.”
Jan Salvatierra stopped Ernie Marquez in round two of their six-round flyweight bout.
In round two, Salvatierra dropped Marquez with a right hand. Marquez looked like he twisted his ankle and the fight was stopped at 2:26.
Salvatierra, 111.6 lbs of Cabo San Lucas, MEX is now 8-1 with four knockouts. Marquez, 110.8 lbs of Fort Morgan, CO is now 10-18-2.
“First of all I want to thank God and Golden Boy for the opportunity to fight tonight,” said Jan Salvatierra. “We have had a great training camp, preparing since January for anything that could pop up. We trained to go the distance. I was expecting more from my opponent, hoping that his experience would bring more to the table. But unfortunately he sustained an injury and things happen for a reason. I want to be active for the rest of the year and hopefully fight for a regional title soon.”
Jorge Chavez stopped Jonathan Tejeda in round two of the scheduled four-round super featherweight fight.
In round two, Chavez dropped Tejeda with an overhand right to the side of the head, and the fight was stopped at 1:04.
Chavez, 127.8 lbs of San Diego, CA is 2-0 with two knockouts. Tejeda, 124.8 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 0-2.
“I loved being able to fight at Fantasy Springs; all my friends and family were able to come to see me in a more intimate venue,” said Jorge Chavez. “I am happy I got the victory, but every fight is a learning experience. We will continue to grow, learn, and just get better and better every fight.”
