Mercito ‘No Mercy’ Gesta may fight in Pacquiao-Marquez undercard

Filipino Mercito ‘No Mercy’ Gesta (26-0-1, 14 KOs) may end up fighting in the undercard of the fourth match between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, slated for December 8 (December 9, PHL time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The undefeated Mandaue native who currently resides in San Diego might get his first world title shot against Mexican Miguel Vazquez (32-3-0, 13 KOs), the reigning IBF lightweight champion. Vazquez successfully defended his title Sunday with a slim split decision win over Marvin Quintero of Mexico. Even though it was a close win, Vazquez made it out of the fight unscathed and should have no problems going back to training and fighting in December. Vazquez won the IBF lightweight title back in 2010 with a unanimous decision victory over South Korea’s Ji-Hoon Kim. He successfully defended his title four times after winning it more than two years ago. Gesta, who is tabbed as the IBF’s fifth-ranked lightweight, will be heading back down to the lightweight division after spending some time in the light welterweight division. The last time Gesta weighed in under the 135 pound limit was back in 2008 against Benito Zepeda. If he gets the title fight, Gesta will bypass South Korea’s Kim and Colombia’s Darley Perez, who own the third and fourth spots on IBF’s lightweight rankings. Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger caught up with Vincent Parra, Gesta’s trainer and manager, who said, "We love the challenge Vazquez presents. Mercito will be well prepared for this fight. We will make [Vazquez] pay for every mistake." Giving Gesta his first title shot at the Pacquiao-Marquez undercard is part of Top Rank Promotions’ succession planning. Bob Arum and the rest of the Top Rank braintrust believe that Gesta will be a big star and they want to give him the chance to introduce himself to a wider Filipino audience.  - AMD, GMA News