By Chris Williams: According to examinerc.com, No.7 WBA ranked lightweight contender Mercito Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KO’s) is a possible option to replace Yurirokis Gamboa for a fight against former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KO’s) on April 14th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gamboa has failed to show up for two of the press conferences for the Rios fight this week and it’s thought that Gamboa won’t agree to fight Rios.

Gamboa’s Top Rank promotional company are still trying to lure him into taking the fight, but it’s not looking good right now. However, if they still want to keep the April 14th date without Gamboa, then a possible option would be the unbeaten Gesta. His trainer/co-manager Vince Parra said that Gesta, who is already scheduled to fight on the undercard against Luis Antonio Arceo (24-11-4, 16 KO’s), could step in to replace Gamboa and fight Rios.

It would be one way of saving the fight card. However, I have a funny feeling that Top Rank won’t agree to this fight because Gesta is one of their project fighters and he’s not even close to being ready for a fighter like Rios. I realize that the 24-year-old Gesta is ranked #7 by the WBA, but that’s a very kind ranking by the World Boxing Association because I don’t see Gesta being even a bottom 15 contender. He’s incredibly slow of hand and he’s to hit. He went life and death with Manuel Perez (16-6-1, 4 KO’s) last September and won one of the most controversial decisions I’ve ever seen. I had Gesta losing by four rounds, and yet he won the fight by a fairly wide 10 round decision. Gesta would likely be ruined by Rios and that would obviously mess up his promoter Bob Arum’s plans for him. I’ve heard all kinds of crazy talk from Gesta’s fans how he’s the next Manny Pacquiao, but he is really flawed and it wouldn’t be a fight if he gets the call. Rios would make it look easy in destroying that guy, and you know he’ll never get that chance.