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Ronnie Nathanielsz reports that according to Bob Arum, Filipino prospect Mercito Gesta will receive a shot at the IBF lightweight title on December 8, facing Miguel Vazquez as part of the Pacquiao vs Marquez IV PPV undercard.
Vazquez (32-3, 13 KO) beat Marvin Quintero this past Saturday on HBO in a lousy fight that opened Gary Shaw's Boxing After Dark card in Verona, New York. Only in boxing could someone stink out the joint on "free" TV to the degree the running Vazquez did, and then be signed up for a PPV show in two months.
Gesta (26-0-1, 14 KO) is 2-0 this year, beating Oscar Cuero in April, and then Ty Barnett in August. Neither win was particularly impressive, though he did get the late stoppage in both fights. He's a physically strong fighter, but hasn't really been tested since emerging as a prospect of note.
No matter what you think about Vazquez's style -- and it can be godawful boring, to be sure -- he presents a very difficult challenge for Gesta, and it is, in its way, a good matchup. If Quintero can fight close with Vazquez, Gesta could surely make some noise in this one, but Vazquez has looked a lot better than he did this past Saturday night, too.