LOS ANGELES – Boxing’s most beloved heavyweight fighter, Gerry Cooney is set as the special VIP Guest at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on the April 21st fight card. The event features Golden Boy returning to its Coachella Valley home and is headlined by Palmdale’s Joel Diaz, Jr. (26-2, 22 KOs) and San Diego’s Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (32-3-3, 17 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight battle. The co-main event of the night Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) from Glendora, CA, will face Jairo Lopez (27-14, 17 KOs) of Apodaca, Mexico in an 8-round lightweight bout. Also on the card, San Diego’s top prospect Jorge Chavez (1-0, 1 KOs) is scheduled for a 4-round super featherweight fight. Undefeated prospect Manuel Flores (11-0, 8 KOs) of Coachella, CA, will take on the experienced Victor Ruiz (23-12, 16 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico in an 8-round super bantamweight fight. Also, part of the DAZN broadcast, Los Cabos, Mexico’s Jan Salvatierra (7-1, 3 KOs) will participate in a 6-round flyweight event, and Hawaii’s Asa Stevens (2-0, 1 KOs) is scheduled for a 4-round bantamweight bout. All the fights will be streamed live, exclusively, on DAZN worldwide starting at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET.
Best known for his epic battles against George Foreman and Larry Holmes, Gerry Cooney challenged for the WBC and Lineal Heavyweight World Championship titles in 1982 and the Lineal Heavyweight World Championship in 1987. The heavy-handed, Cooney compiled a professional record of 28 wins and 3 losses, with 24 knockouts and not one of his fights ever went the distance. He is currently ranked number 53 on The Ring’s list of “100 Greatest Punchers of All Time” and according to George Foreman, Gerry Cooney was one of the three hardest punchers he had faced in his career. As the VIP guest, Cooney will be in attendance for the fights and will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center before the DAZN livestream begins. The meet-and-greet is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket to the event.
Tickets for Diaz Jr. vs. Gesta are on sale now and are priced at $45, $35 and $25 plus applicable facility fees and service charges. Tickets are available at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino box office, by calling 1-800-827-2946, or by purchasing online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Diaz, Jr. vs. Gesta is a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy. The event was sponsored by Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The fight will take place on Thursday, April 21 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA, and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.