(SEPT 15) COMMERCE, CA As
things heat up for Mexican Independence Day, William “El Camarón”
Zepeda (28-0, 24 KOs) and Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (34-3-3, 17
KOs) hosted a press conference ahead of their 12-round clash on
September 16 for Zepeda's WBA Continental Americas Lightweight
Title. The special fight night event will take place at the
Commerce Casino & Hotel and will be broadcast live on DAZN.
Doors to The Commerce Casino & Hotel open at 3:00 p.m. PT, The
Golden Boy Fight Night: Zepeda vs. Gesta Prelims on YouTube and
Facebook Watch begin at 3:05 p.m. PT, and the DAZN broadcast
will begin at 5:00 p.m. PT/ 8:00 p.m. ET.
The co-main event will feature
Vancouver’s Victor “El Tornado” Morales (18-0-1, 9 KOs) who is
scheduled to defend his WBA Intercontinental Featherweight Title
against Mexico City’s Edwin “Pupo” Palomares (18-4-2, 9 KOs) in
a 10-round fight. Three-division and five-time world champion
Yokasta Valle (28-2, 9 KOs) will make her grand 2023 return to
U.S. soil and will defend her IBF and WBO Minimumweight World
Championship titles against Maria Santizo (11-3, 6 KOs) of
Guatemala City, Guatemala. Houston, Texas’ Darius “DFG” Fulghum
(6-0, 6 KOs) will look to continue his knockout streak in an
eight-round light heavyweight fight against Mexico City’s
Ricardo “Tyson” Luna (25-10-2, 16 KOs).
Opening the DAZN broadcast with
eight-rounds of middleweight action, recently signed Eric Priest
(10-0, 7 KOs) who represents Wichita Falls, Texas and is now
under the tutelage of world championship trainer Ismael Salas,
will face off against Danish-born Simon “Vikingo” Madsen (13-1,
10 KOs) who now calls Cancun, Mexico home.
On the The Golden Boy Fight Night: Zepeda vs. Gesta Prelims
streamed on YouTube and Facebook Watch, Daniel “Junebug” Garcia
(6-0, 5 KOs) of Denver, Colorado will fight Guadalajara,
Mexico’s Erick “Aidahoe” Benitez (4-4, 1 KO) in a four-round
super featherweight match. In a six-round super lightweight
fight, Mexicali, Mexico’s Pinpon Reyes (10-0, 5 KOs) will
measure up against Roberto Gomez (5-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico City.
Recently signed to Golden Boy, Mexican Olympian Gael "El Terror"
Cabrera (1-0, 1 KO) of Sonora, Mexico will participate in a
four-round super bantamweight fight against Managua, Nicaragua's
Juan Centeno. Making his pro-debut and opening Mexican
Independence Day Weekend festivities, Jordan Cervantes of East
Los Angeles will participate in a four-round lightweight fight
against El Paso, Texas' Giovanny Meza.
Here is what some of the
participants from today's press conference had to say:
WILLIAM ZEPEDA, WBA CONTINENTAL AMERICAS LIGHTWEIGHT
TITLEHOLDER:
"I am extremely motivated for this fight. I've always believed
that there's no such thing as an A-side or B-side in boxing. To
face a grand rival like Mercito Gesta is a great privilege, and
I can't wait to demonstrate to everyone of what "El Camarón" is
made of."
MERCITO GESTA, LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CONTENDER:
"I am not new in this sport. I will never stop learning. My
style always evolves. I am staying in focused with my coach
Marvin Somodio. I am so excited to be facing William Zepeda who
is undefeated. Zepeda is an up-and-coming fighter. He's great
and he excites me. This opportunity is really hard to miss. Now
that Oscar and Golden Boy have given it to me - why not? It's a
good fight. I want to thank Golden Boy for this opportunity."
VICTOR MORALES, JR., WBA INTERCONTINENTAL TITLEHOLDER:
"I'm blessed to be on another Zepeda card as a co-main event
again on the most important weekend for us Mexicans. We're very
excited to do what we do. If he [Palomares] wants to bring the
pressure, we have a game plan for everything. We can do it from
the inside and we can do it from the outside. We're going to go
and be victorious one more time."
YOKASTA VALLE, IBF AND WBO MINIMUMWEIGHT CHAMPION:
"Thank you to all the media who came. To Oscar, Eric and all of
Golden Boy for this big fight against Maria Santizo. We have
prepared 100-percent for this fight to give you guys the show
you have all been waiting for and one that is worthy for this
special Sept. 16 date. I am so excited for the first bell to
ring this coming Saturday."
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
"September 16 is a tradition of amazing events for boxing. You
go back to Julio Cesar Chavez, Juan Manuel Marquez, and even
myself - we have put the September 16 date on the map for the
sport of boxing. And now, today, William Zepeda and Mercito
Gesta have an opportunity to show the world what fighting is all
about."
"For some strange reason, whenever anyone steps inside that ring
on Mexican Independence Day, they fight with such passion. They
fight with heart, they fight with everything they have because
they know what's on the line. Everyone who watches on Saturday
can expect great fights from top to bottom."
BERNARD HOPKINS, PARTNER OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
"Everybody up here has an opportunity to close out the year,
going into 2024. If you believe that the boxing world doesn't
have respect on your name, this is your opportunity to get it
going into 2024. Everyone do well, be sharp, leave it all in the
ring cause the world is watching."
Zepeda vs. Gesta is a 12-round fight for the WBA Continental
Americas Lightweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions.
The fight is sponsored by Betonline, “BetOnline, Your Online
Sportsbook Experts.” The event will be available worldwide to
all subscribers on DAZN, both live and on demand.
Tickets for Zepeda vs. Gesta are on-sale today, Wednesday,
August 9, 2023 at 10:00 am PT and are priced at $150, $100, $75,
and $50 plus applicable fees. A limited amount of Golden Boy VIP
Experience seats will also be available for purchase with
exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades included.
Standard and VIP tickets can be purchased at
GoldenBoyPromotions.com.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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