Filipino lightweight Mercito Gesta had little difficulty with Luis Arceo on Fox Sports 1 Friday, and not for lack of trying by Arceo. On the same card, Chinese giant Taishan Dong made a successful, if not lumbering, pro debut.
Gesta has often had trouble letting his hands go, for all his evident talent. He’s like a mini-Rocky Juarez in that way (or larger one, by size; by accomplishment, mini-). Arceo brought out the best in him, because his constant pressure gave Gesta a persistent target and little excuse not to punch back. By the 3rd round, he was staggering Arceo, peppering him from a southpaw and orthodox stance with straight lefts, right hooks and uppercuts from everywhere. By the end of the 7th round, Arceo was lumpy and bloody. When the doctor shined a light in his eyes between rounds, he didn’t respond to the doctor’s satisfaction, and the bout came to an end.
If Gesta can fight more like this, maybe he can make a dent at 135. That’s a big “if.”
On the undercard, 6’11” Chinese heavyweight Taishan scored a 2nd round knockout over Alex Rozman. On the plus side, his jab was stiff and was responsible for three of the four knockdowns in the bout. On the negative side, he was as lumbering as you might expect for a 6’11” man. You cannot and should not judge someone too positively or negatively on their professional debut, but there was probably more con than pro in this outing.
