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.” 

LOS ANGELES (April 13, 2022) – Boxing’s most beloved heavyweight fighter, Gerry Cooney is set as the special VIP Guest at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on the April 21st fight card. The event features Golden Boy returning to its Coachella Valley home and is headlined by Palmdale’s Joel Diaz, Jr. (26-2, 22 KOs) and San Diego’s Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (32-3-3, 17 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight battle. The co-main event of the night Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) from Glendora, CA, will face Jairo Lopez (27-14, 17 KOs) of Apodaca, Mexico in an 8-round lightweight bout. Also on the card, San Diego’s top prospect Jorge Chavez (1-0, 1 KOs) is scheduled for a 4-round super featherweight fight. Undefeated prospect Manuel Flores (11-0, 8 KOs) of Coachella, CA, will take on the experienced Victor Ruiz (23-12, 16 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico in an 8-round super bantamweight fight. Also, part of the DAZN broadcast, Los Cabos, Mexico’s Jan Salvatierra (7-1, 3 KOs) will participate in a 6-round flyweight event, and Hawaii’s Asa Stevens (2-0, 1 KOs) is scheduled for a 4-round bantamweight bout. All the fights will be streamed live, exclusively, on DAZN worldwide starting at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET.

Best known for his epic battles against George Foreman and Larry Holmes, Gerry Cooney challenged for the WBC and Lineal Heavyweight World Championship titles in 1982 and the Lineal Heavyweight World Championship in 1987. The heavy-handed, Cooney compiled a professional record of 28 wins and 3 losses, with 24 knockouts and not one of his fights ever went the distance. He is currently ranked number 53 on The Ring’s list of “100 Greatest Punchers of All Time” and according to George Foreman, Gerry Cooney was one of the three hardest punchers he had faced in his career. As the VIP guest, Cooney will be in attendance for the fights and will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center before the DAZN livestream begins. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.

Tickets for Diaz Jr. vs. Gesta are on sale now and are priced at $45, $35 and $25 plus applicable facility fees and service charges. Tickets are available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Diaz, Jr. vs. Gesta is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy. The event was sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The fight will take place on Thursday, April 21 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA, and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #DiazJrGesta #GBFightNight

PHILADELPHIA–Victor Ruiz stunned a sold out 2300 Arena crowd with one perfect left hand as he stopped hometown favorite Christian Carto in round two of their scheduled eight-round bantamweight fight.

Ruiz landed a perfect left hand that sent the back of Carto’s head thumping off the canvas. Carto’s leg momentarily quivered and the bout was immediately halted at 1:56.

Carto was removed from the arena on a stretcher.

Ruiz, 115.5 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 23-10-1 with 16 knockouts. Carto, 118.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 17-1.

Marcel Rivers won a six-round unanimous decision over Derrick Whitley in a battle of undefeated welterweights.

Rivers, 144.7 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 58-56 on all cards and is now 7-0. Whitley, 148.3 lbs of Springfield, MA is 4-1-1.

Alejandro Jimenez and Edgar Cortes battled to a six-round split draw in a bantamweight contest.

Each fighter took a card a card 58-56 while a 3rd card read even at 57-57.

Jimenez, 119.2 lbs of New Hope, PA is 4-0-1. Cortes, 119.5 lbs of Vineland, NJ is 6-4-1.

Darmani Rock stopped Steven Lyons in round four of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

In round four, Rock opened up with a hard combination to the body that sent Lyons to the canvas in the corner. Lyons sat in the corner until referee Benjy Esteves reached the ten-count at 1:20.

Rock, 273.3 lbs of Philadelphia is 14-0 with nine knockouts. Lyons, 209.7 lbs of Houma, LA is 5-4.

Sonny Conto made a successful pro debut by stopping Jimmie Levins in the 1st round of their scheduled four round haveyweight bout.

Conto seemed to drop Levins four-times in thr opening frame, but for some reason they were all ruled slips. Levins was limping around the ring and upon the 4th time on the canvas, the fight was stopped due to injury at 2:19.

Conto, 215.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-0 with one knockout. Levins, 219.2 lbs of Buffalo, NY is 0-5.

Gerardo Martinez won a four-round majority decision over Osnel Charles in a junior welterweight bout.

In round two, Martinez began to bleed from his nose.

Martinez, 136.7 lbs of Coatsviille, PA won by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 and is now 4-1. Charles, 140.3 lbof Atlantic City is 12-19-1.

Jonathan Torres won a four-round unanimous decision over Dallas Holden in a bantamweight bout.

Torres, 118.5 lbs of Bethlehem, PA won by shutout scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 2-0. Holden, 119.6 lbs of Atlantic City 1-4.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Undefeated bantamweight prospect Christian Carto, of South Philadelphia, faces veteran southpaw Victor Ruiz, of San Diego, CA in the eight-round main event Friday evening, Feb. 8, at the 2300 Arena.

The Carto-Ruiz fight tops an eight-fight card, dubbed the “Philly Special” by promoter Michelle Rosado, of Raging Babe, in her first solo promotion in Philadelphia.

Carto, 22, has won all 17 of his pro fights, 11 by knockout. A pro since mid-2016, Carto has developed into one of the most popular fighters in the Philadelphia/Atlantic City area. In his last fight Nov. 9, Carto earned a six-round decision over Antonio Rodriguez, of Durango, Mexico.

Ruiz, 27, comes into the fight the more experienced of the two. He turned pro in 2011 and has boxed some of the best “little men” in the world. In 2015, in Corpus Christi, TX, he got off the canvas in the second round and went on to win an eight-round split decision over former IBF world super flyweight champion Daiki Kameda, of Tokyo, Japan.

Ruiz also boxed former WBC world-title challenger and current NABF bantamweight champion Oscar Negrete, of Rosemead, CA, losing their 2017 fight in Las Vegas, NV, via an eight-round decision. Overall, Ruiz is 22-10, 15 KOs.

“I’m eager to test my skills against (Victor) Ruiz,” said Carto. “We’ve watched tape and he’s got plenty of experience. Ruiz has fought some great fighters: McWilliams Arroyo, Oscar Negrete and current WBO Bantamweight Champion Zolani Tete. As for 2019, I’m ready to start the year strong and I’m happy to be back in South Philly at the 2300 Arena. Training camp is going great. Billy (trainer Briscoe) and I will leave no stone unturned and we’ll be ready for Ruiz.”

Promoter Michelle Rosado: “This is no walk-in-the-park fight for Christian. If he wants to crack the world ratings, this is the kind of guy he needs to fight and this is the kind of guy he needs to beat. Ruiz has been in with some of the best at flyweight, super fly and bantamweight.”

Heavyweight Darmani Rock will fight in the card’s co-feature, with welterweight Marcel Rivers, of North Philadelphia, heavyweight Sonny Conto, of South Philadelphia, bantamweight Alejandro Jimenez, of New Hope, PA, lightweight Gerardo Martinez of Coatesville, PA, bantamweight Jonathan Torres, of Bethlehem, PA, and bantamweight Jeremy Adorno of Allentown, PA rounding out the card.

ABOUT FEB. 8:
The Feb. 8 card consists of eight fights. Doors open at 6:30 pm and first bout is at 7:30 pm. This event is all ages.

TICKETS:
Tickets are priced $50, $75 and $125. They can be purchased online at www.2300arena.com or by calling 215-765-0922.