Mercito Gesta (left) and William Zepeda Segura (right). | Facebook photos
CEBU CITY, Philippines — United States-based Cebuano contender Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta will face a more dangerous Latino opponent, William Zepeda Segura of Mexico, for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental America’s title.
The bout, that is scheduled on September 16, 2023, will be co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN and will be held at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.
Gesta, who is currently based in San Diego, California, officially announced his upcoming fight on his Facebook page.
The 35-year-old Gesta, a native of Medellin town in northern Cebu, has been on a back-to-back winning streak since last year.
He fought two promising Latin-American prospects, Joel Diaz Jr. and Joseph Diaz, where he won impressively.
He fought Diaz Jr. in 2022 at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California and won by unanimous decision. Last March, he also fought and won via split decision against Diaz in Long Beach, California.
The two big wins for Gesta were huge bounce back performances for him after he suffered a loss to Juan Antonio Rodriguez in 2019 and a draw against Carlos Morales in the same year.
He has a record of 34 wins with 17 knockouts, three defeats, and three draws. He is currently training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Segura, 27, of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico is a world-rated undefeated prospect. He has 28 wins with 24 knockouts.
Segura also fought Diaz last year and won by unanimous decision, compared to Gesta’s close split decision. After that, Segura won over Panamanian Jaime Arboleda via a second round knockout last April in Arlington, Texas.
Segura is ranked No. 2 in the WBA lightweight division, No. 4 in WBC, and No. 7 in the IBF.
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