Mercito Gesta has long been a gym veteran, but on Saturday, March 18th, the veteran fighter, recorded the biggest win of his career defeating former world champion and 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph Diaz Jr., via a split decision, in a ten-round fight that headlined, a DAZN telecast from Long Beach, California.
Afterward, the battle-tested veteran Gesta was eager to cherish the moment, as he came in as a 3-to-1 underdog to the more famous and well-accomplished veteran, Diaz Jr. Now, Gesta is eager to establish himself as what he views himself, a top-10 lightweight in the world.
“I want the best, of course, the best at 135 [lbs] is Ryan Garcia, Tank Davis, those in my weight division,” said Gesta after his win over Diaz Jr. “To get there I need to prove myself to be able to fight them.”
Gesta used his legs to keep Diaz Jr. away, as Gesta stayed busier in the fight which seemingly gave him the edge on two of three judges scorecards. The win gives Gesta a world-class win, and with that win, he hopes to parlay it into a fight with surging lightweight contender, William Zepeda.
The gift for Gesta’s longevity in the sport, and his secret to being as good if not better at age 35, besides hard work in the gym with his coach Marvin Somodio is simple. Gesta looks to a clean lifestyle that many call ‘boring’ as the secret to staying at the top of the sport.
“I just do my talking in the ring, let the people judge,” said Gesta after being ranked rather lowly on BoxRec.com. “I want to prove…that I am still here. I’ve said this in some interviews, my lifestyle, the way I live, I don’t drink, I don’t party, I don’t smoke, they say I am boring, but I take care of myself. I grew up in an Island, the Philippines that is simple, because of that I preserve my body.”
