No Mercy gets biggest win so far.
It was in March 2019 when Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta found himself at the crossroads of a career that had spanned 16 years already by that time. Then 32, the Labogon, Mandaue native was knocked out by Juan Antonio Rodriguez, sending the Filipino to his 3rd loss in 37 fights and 2nd in a span of 3 fights.
The writing, it seemed, was on the wall. The end to Gesta’s career was near.
But Gesta refused to yield. Four years later, No Mercy finds himself in his career’s second arc—one that now has a signature win just three fights in.
On Sunday, Gesta pulled off arguably his biggest win as a prizefighter, outpointing former IBF Junior Lightweight titleholder Joseph “Jojo” Diaz Jr. in their main event clash at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. Gesta won by majority decision, getting the nod of two judges—98-92 and 99-91—to improve to 34-3-3 with 17 knockouts.
The fight, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and broadcast by DAZN, was an explosive back-and-forth, which was unsurprising given the high stakes of the match. On the one hand, Gesta was looking to build momentum for his suddenly revitalized career. On the other hand, Diaz badly needed a win, as he had dropped his previous two fights—to the unbeaten William Zepeda and undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney.
In other words, it was a must-win for both fighters, and they fought like it. The veteran southpaws mixed it up for most of the fight, letting their hands go for some thrilling exchanges, to the delight of the nearly sold out crowd. In the end, Gesta did enough to nudge by Diaz, doing most of his damage in the middle rounds to build his lead.
With the win, the first-time father has reestablished himself as a player in the lightweight division. But he will have to wait his turn for a third title shot as the division is stacked. At the moment, though, Gesta is just grateful to have pulled off the huge upset.