Gesta Spars Eight Rounds, Looks Ready For Battle
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Photo Credit: Duenas Aris
Source Doc: BoxingScene.com – http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=59782#ixzz2DQgZmKm2
Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta ( 26-0-1, 14 KO’s) who battles IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez (32-3, 13 KO’s) of Mexico on the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 8 sparred eight rounds Monday and looks great.
Gesta’s co-manager and trainer Vince Parra told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard from the Gesta training camp in Big Bear, California that the undefeated southpaw “ is doing great, he had a good sparring day, we are tapering down now and coming down the homestretch.”
Gesta sparred a couple of rounds with regular sparring partner Aaron Garcia who Parra said has been “working well here and provides support for the conditioning and moving around to get the rounds” and six rounds with tough Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy who stands 5’11” and is undefeated with a record of 17-0 with 11 knockouts.
The 25 year old Vazquez is 5’10” in height and had a three inch advantage over Gesta who is 5’7″.
Parra told us the hard-hitting Gesta “looks good, is right there and we are just about following up on the plan and keeping the moves sharp and focusing on the weight now which is about 140-141. We are looking to leave camp on Saturday and hit Vegas on Monday afternoon and finish off at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas.
The trainer said Gesta is mentally and physically ready “more than I’ve ever seen him. He’s honed in and executing his game plan and he’s focused.”
Parra conceded that Vasquez is no easy opponent but said “we’ve got a real good idea of how we want to execute and while he (Vazquez) is no pushover and since no one else wanted to fight him, that’s primarily why we wanted him.”
According to the trainer Gesta will be “a lot more aggressive” in this fight although he made it clear “its going to be intelligent aggression. We are going to fight our fight, we are going to execute and control the ring and control the action. Obviously anything can happen but we have been here in the last four weeks and we are assured that gas will not be an issue so at every opportunity if we hit this guy and get him where we want him, at every opportunity we will jump on him and there will be a high volume of punches.”
Gesta’s father Anecito who is assisting Parra in training Gesta while his mother also helps out with the cooking and provides the water and towel during breaks in sparring conceded that his son “is not yet in one hundred percent condition” but believes he’ll be ready by fight night.”
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