By Chris Williams: If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has his way his unbeaten Top Rank stable fighter Mercito Gesta (26-0-1, 14 KO’s) will be fighting for a world title against IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez (31-3, 13 KO’s) as the co-feature on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez card on December 8th. For Gesta, #5 IBF, #5 WBA, to get the title shot against Vazquez it will require that Vazquez successfully defend his International Boxing Federation title against #6 IBF Marvin Quintera later on this month on October 27th.

Arum told the Manila Standard “If he [Vazquez] wins that fight and comes out unscathed then he is scheduled to fight Gesta for the lightweight title on December 8th. That would be the co-feature. It’s interesting that in each of the two fights is a Mexican against a Filipino.”

That’s a terrible co-feature if you ask me. However, I know for Pacquiao’s loving fans, who see the 25-year-old Gesta as the next Pacquiao, they’d probably love the idea of seeing Gesta vs. Vazquez as the co-main event on the Pacquiao vs. Marquez card. I think it’s a poor fight and given that the card is going for $49.95 on pay per view in the United States, I’d expect a lot more for a co main event than seeing the unproven and very, very average Gesta fight a paper champion in Vazquez for a title.

I don’t care about the Filipino vs. Mexican rivalry. I just want to see some good fighters that are well known and not overly hyped fight. I don’t consider Gesta as being a good fighter. I’ve already see him get his head boxed off by Manuel Perez, and seen plenty of his other fights where he’s looked mediocre. I don’t want to see Gesta fighting as the co main event in an expensive PPV card. If Arum is going to put Gesta on that card at least he can do is shove the fight down to one of the bottom fights that don’t make it on television so that boxing fans aren’t forced to watch a mediocre fight.

It’s interesting that Arum is aiming Gesta towards Vazquez, the fighter considered the weak link among the lightweight champions instead of trying to put him in with champions Antonio DeMarco, Ricky Burns and the winner of the Sharif Bogere vs. Richard Abril fight. I see all of those guys beating the brakes off of Gesta with no problems.

It looks like Arum is trying to get Gesta a paper title and then possibly have him milk it for a long time. Gesta’s Filipino fan base will obviously follow him in high numbers like they do with Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire. Gesta wouldn’t even have to fight anyone good and he’d have a huge following.

I wish Arum would look to put some good fights on the Pacquiao-Marquez fight card because I don’t rate a Gesta vs. Vazquez as being PPV worthy. I see it as a nice ESPN2 undercard fight but no way a main event.