HIS FIRST shot at a world title was unsuccessful, but Cebuano boxer Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta vowed to learn from that loss and use that setback as motivation for his upcoming fight against World Boxing Association (WBA) world lightweight champion Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares.
The 30-year-old Gesta is set to face the 32-year-old Linares in the double header main event of the HBO and Golden Boy Boxing-promoted fight card at the LA Forum in Los Angeles, California, USA on January 27.
The San Diego-based, San Remigio town-native Gesta said he has learned a lot since losing via unanimous decision to Miguel Vasquez in their IBF world lightweight title fight in
“I’ve grown and learned a lot since 2012 when I first fought for a world title. I learned how to take defeat, and I learned how to make the most out of my mistakes,” he said. “Right now, it’s a matter of taking all that I learned and putting it into the ring.”
Gesta, who holds a record of 31 victories (17 by knockouts), one defeat and two draws, is currently training at the Wild Card Gym in downtown Los Angeles. He has been training since December to prepare for this fight.
“I’m not concerned with Jorge Linares’ power. But he is fast, and we’re taking that into consideration. I’ve been studying and working on applying pressure, but at the same time staying smart and avoiding mistakes,” he said.
Gesta’s most recent bout was against Martin Honorio last July at Inglewood, California, where he won by knockout.
Linares has held the WBA world lightweight title since 2016 and has successfully defended it three times. He is also a former WBC world lightweight champion with a record of 43 wins and three defeats.