CEBUANO boxer Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta ended a two-year hiatus with a unanimous decision win over Mexican Gilberto Gonzales yesterday at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada USA.
Gesta, a native of San Remigio town, north Cebu, bucked a third-round knockdown to win the 10-round non-title bout.
Fighting for the first time since scoring a UD win over Miguel Angel Mendoza in 2015, Gesta started off hot, dominating Gonzales with crisp combinations in the first two rounds.
Gonzales charged back in the third and floored Gesta with a left uppercut.
Sensing a knockout win, Gonzales pressured Gesta a lot but the former Cebuano world title challenger regrouped and thwarted his opponent with timely counter punches in the ensuing rounds.
Gesta started making a name for himself in boxing when he won the vacant WBO NABO Youth light weight title in 2010 in the US. He then went on to rack up nine straight wins in the US before losing to Miguel Vasquez in 2012 for the IBF world lightweight title via unanimous decision.
He bounced back by winning his next two matches then settled for a draw against American Carlos Molina in 2015.
Gesta took a long break after his fight with Molina as he went through a surgery for his injured shoulder.
Gesta now has 30 wins, one loss, two draws with 16 knockout victories. Gonzales fell to 26W-4L-22KOs.