PACKED CARD ANNOUNCED FOR APRIL 30 MERCITO GESTA VS. CARLOS MOLINA EVENT AT FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO

INDIO, CA (April 17) – Golden Boy Promotions announced today an updated card for an exciting night of fights on the Golden Boy Live! series featuring some of boxing’s fiercest rising stars set for Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. on April 30 and airing live on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes. Puerto Rican rising star Jeffrey Fontanez (14-1, 11 KOs) will take on former WBC Youth World Super Featherweight Champion Jose “El Loco” Hernandez (15-9-1, 7 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas in an eight-round lightweight brawl. Also on the card, fan-favorite and Irish power puncher Jason Quigley (5-0, 5 KOs) is set to take on a yet-to-be-announced opponent in a six-round televised middleweight bout.

As a special treat to fans, former Three-Time World Champion Fernando “Ferocious” Vargas will also be in attendance to host a meet and greet at the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center prior to the bouts on April 30 at 6:00 p.m.

In the previously announced main event, former lightweight world title challenger Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (28-1-1, 16 KOs) of San Diego will face Los Angeles area standout Carlos Molina (17-2-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout.

Also, fighting for airtime, undefeated featherweight Emilio Sanchez (5-0, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles will look to continue his winning streak against an opponent yet-to-be-named in a six-round super bantamweight television swing bout. Coming off of a recent hard-hitting victory at LA Fight Club earlier this month, Brazilian Olympic Bronze Medalist Yamaguchi Falcao (5-0, 2 KOs) will face a tough competitor in Houston’s Gerardo Ibarra (14-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round non-televised middleweight match-up.

Palm Desert native and local favorite Neeco “The Rooster” Macias (8-0, 4 KOs) will work to keep his undefeated status in front of a hometown crowd in a six-round super welterweight bout, while Los Angeles’ Rafael Gramajo (2-1-1, 1 KO) will be making his second appearance at Fantasy Springs and looking to follow up on his recent March 20 victory, in a four-round super bantamweight brawl and super lightweight Ruslan Madiyev (3-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles will be featured in a four round fight. Opponents will be announced shortly.

Making his professional debut in 2013, Los Angeles undefeated featherweight Emilio Sanchez can do it all in the ring. Sanchez won his first three bouts via first-round knockouts and has continued to impress with 2014 victories over Jonathan Ramos and Juan Alvarado. The young but experienced fighter most recently triumphed over Luis Cosme at the March 6 edition of LA FIGHT CLUB at The Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

A rising star from the boxing-rich island of Puerto Rico, Caguas’ Jeffrey Fontanez continues to grow into a top-flight boxer in front of the world. The 22-year-old boasts wins over Adrian Verdugo and Orlando Vazquez in 2014 and will make his 2015 debut at Fantasy Springs this month.

Hailing from Balleybofey in County Donegal, Ireland, the 23-year-old Jason Quigley had an outstanding amateur career becoming the first Irish fighter to win a Silver medal at the AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships in 2013. He started his professional career in 2014 and quickly garnered attention by ending each fight via knockout against Howard Reece, Fernando Najera, and Greg McCoy. Quigley continued his wins-by-knockout streak by taking down Lanny Dardar less than two minutes into the first round at the March 6 debut of LA FIGHT CLUB and knocking out Tolutomi Agunbiade on March 20 at Fantasy Springs Casino Resort.
A 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist and one of the most promising boxers to come from the country of Brazil, Yamaguchi Falcao is now on his quest for professional gold in the middleweight division. Since his professional debut in January 2014, Falcao has put together three consecutive victories over Fernando Najera, Martin Fidel Rios and Jesus Cruz. In his first fight of 2015, Falcao stopped undefeated newcomer “Sugar” Raymond Terry of Philadelphia in the first round of their scheduled six-round middleweight fight on March 12 and quickly followed up with another impressive victory over Deartie Tucker at LA FIGHT CLUB on April 2.

Palm Desert’s Neeco Macias is an action fighter who loves to scrap when the bell rings. Following up on a successful 2014, the 23-year-old won his eighth consecutive bout on February 27, 2015 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino leaving him undefeated as he heads back into the ring on April 30.

Hailing from the Westside Boxing Club, Rafael Gramajo will have the fifth professional fight of his career on April 30. Gramajo, a Garden City, Kansas native who now makes his home in Los Angeles, will return to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino after making his debut at the venue last month.

Undefeated 22-year-old Ruslan Madiyev, originally from Karaganda, Kazakhastan, made his professional debut successfully beating Oscar Rojas in October 2014 at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA and touts a victory over Cesar Martinez in his first fight from 2015 at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, CA. His upcoming appearance at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino will mark his third professional fight in the U.S.

Gesta vs. Molina is a 10-round super lightweight bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra and Mexico – Live It To Believe It!. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the first bell rings at 5:15 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, priced at $25, $35, and $45, are on sale now and available for purchase from the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.