Alexis Rocha believes in redemption and proving he is still a top-10 contender.
Rocha, who is rated No. 9 by The Ring at 147 pounds, will face unbeaten Santiago Dominguez in a compelling crossroads bout Friday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. The 10-round bout will headline a five-bout Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN card (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).
The southpaw Rocha (24-2, 16 knockouts), who grew up in Santa Ana, California, was victorious in his last bout on March 30, scoring a knockout win over Fredrick Lawson after round seven. In his previous fight on October 21, Rocha was dropped multiple times before losing by knockout to then-unbeaten contender Giovani Santillan.
The loss to Santillan snapped a string of seven victories since a close decision loss to Rashidi Ellis in October 2020.
Rocha is the younger brother of former world junior featherweight title challenger Ronny Rios, who provided guidance and mentorship to Rocha after the loss to Santillan.
“The valuable advice he gave me was to keep my head up,” Rocha told The Ring Tuesday. “He’s been there. I didn’t want to start to doubt myself and my abilities. I gave myself time to mentally move forward and gain confidence.
The loss to Santillan dropped Rocha in the Ring ratings, and also cost him his No. 1 ranking by the WBO.
Dominguez (27-0, 20 KOs), who is originally from Ciudad Obregon, Mexico and now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, also fought on March 30 card, winning by split decision over Jose Luis Sanchez. Rocha is convinced a statement win over Dominguez would solidify his standings amongst the best welterweights in the world.
“I just have to focus on what I have to do (tonight),” said Rocha, who made his pro debut in March 2016 and has since fought under the Golden Boy banner. “If he’s going to be aggressive, then I’ll adjust to that. I can bring it too, but I know when I need to box. I can box and outbox my opponent. I want to show that (tonight).
“I can take my time and I can be aggressive when I need to be. I can settle down, and I could time my opponent. I can end matters when my opponent is hurt.
“I truly believe and I’ve demonstrated I’m a top-10 contender. A win (tonight) would put me in line for a world title shot in the near future. I can, 100 percent, get better. You haven’t seen the best version of Alexis Rocha.”
The 27-year-old proved he was able to bounce back from the loss to Ellis to be the subject of a possible world title shot against Ring Magazine and undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Could he do the same after losing by knockout to Santillan?
The win over Lawson is a good start, and a statement win over Dominguez could reaffirm Rocha being a legit welterweight contender.
Rocha believes he is back on track and a win over Dominguez would solidify his stance on being a solid well-rounded fighter.
“I’m content with where I’m at,” said Rocha. “I learn from my losses. I look at what I did. I take the positives and the negatives in stride. I work with (trainer) Hector Lopez to get better with each fight.
“I don’t think boxing fans have seen the best version of me. 100 percent. I’m maturing and I’m getting stronger everyday. I’m more muscular than when I was 18. It’s getting a little harder to make weight because of my metabolism, but I’m a lot stronger at this weight.”
At Thursday’s weigh-in, Rocha weighed in at 146.4 pounds. Dominguez came in 146.8 pounds.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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