Juan Antonio “El Mozo” Rodriguez (30-7, 25 KOs) of Puebla, Mexico scored an upset, ninth-round technical knockout victory over Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (32-3-2, 17 KOs) of San Diego, California in the scheduled 10-round main event of the inaugural edition of Golden Boy DAZN Thursday Night Fights at Avalon Hollywood. Rodriguez stopped Gesta at 2:55 of the aforementioned round.
“I want to thank God. I want to thank my sponsors back home,” Juan Rodriguez. “I felt it was a matter hitting him to the body until he collapsed, and he did. It was a matter of time until he quit, and he quit. He stopped throwing punches.”
“It was a good fight,” said Mercito Gesta.”The guy was tough. He fought hard. No excuses from me. What’s next? I want whatever is best for me. I’m a fighter, and I love challenges.”
In the co-main event, Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (10-0-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada defeated Ferdinand “Lucky Boy” Kerobyan (11-1, 6 KOs) of North Hollywood, Calif. via eight-round unanimous decision in a bloody battle between two Golden Boy prospects for the Jr. NABF Welterweight Title. Cobbs won with scores of 73-79, 75-77, and 75-77.
“Tonight I showed I’m an elite fighter pulling off an incredible win in my opponents’ hometown,” said Blair Cobbs. “I give him a lot of credit for hanging in there. He was very tough, but I showed I was the superior fighter. I’m ready to fight all the top welterweight contenders that stand in my way toward my run to a world title.”
