Welterweight Alexis Rocha is gearing up for his December 14 showdown against 2016 Mexican Olympian Raul Curiel at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Both fighters are under the Golden Boy Promotions banner, but the stakes are high and the winner could find themselves in line for a title shot.
Rocha, 27, from Santa Ana, California, is coming off a year of rebuilding following his knockout loss to Giovani Santillan in October 2023. That defeat put a pause on his title aspirations. Now, with two victories under his belt in 2024, Rocha holds an improved record of 25-2 (16 KOs). His most recent win came in July, when he handed undefeated puncher Santiago Dominguez a unanimous decision loss.
“I initially wanted a world title shot, to be honest, but all the titles are taken right now,” Rocha told DAZN. “So Curiel is another name thrown out my way, and then just so be it.”
At 28, Curiel is actually older than Rocha, though he’s still considered a prospect in some circles. The Guadalajara native Curiel, who trains at Wild Card Boxing Club with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, enters the fight on a 10-bout knockout streak and boasts a 15-0 (13 KOs) record.
Rocha acknowledged his familiarity with his opponent and said it is a fight he saw coming.
“Given the fact that I fought pretty much every Golden Boy welterweight in this stable? Yeah, I did… [He’s] just another name. Just another name. That’s it… He’s an aggressive fighter. Likes to put his combinations [together], if you let him.”
Rocha said his loss to Santillan shaped him, and he has taken plenty from defeat.
“You just carry yourself different. You live, you learn, and sometimes you just gain from it. It’s not really a loss if you look at it as a learning lesson. I fit into his game plan with the crowd and everything, and I just kind of fell into his game plan that night. Moving on, I just learned to be controlled and calm and patient in there.”
Rocha emphasized the value of resilience and added: “Like I said, it’s not really a lesson if you don’t learn from it.”
With an eye toward a potential title shot, Rocha said: “I feel like I’m one win away from fighting for [a] world title. First things first, handle Curiel and then go for the world title shot.”
On the prospect of a Santillan rematch, Rocha kept the door open, but also believed that the two are now in opposite positions as Santillan was knocked out by Brian Norman Jnr this year. “It’s always there. It’s always there to get that get-back from the loss,” Rocha said. “But you know, we’re going different routes right now. He’s on the comeback season after the Brian Norman loss, and [our] trajectories [are] to go somewhere else.”
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