Alexis Rocha adds new layers in UD over Santiago Dominguez

Welterweight Alexis Rocha demonstrated his evolution as a fighter by employing a methodical jab and fighting off his back foot – a departure from his previous bouts, in which he focused on exchanging punches with his opponents.

Rocha won a 10-round unanimous decision over Santiago Dominguez, aiming to rebuild toward a title shot. The judges scored the bout 98-92, 99-91 and 99-91 for Rocha. 

The fight began with a scare for Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs), 27, of Santa Ana, California, as Dominguez (27-1, 20 KOs), 32, of Phoenix, pressed him early. Dominguez had Rocha on the ropes, trying to overwhelm him. In the second round, Rocha made a calculated move to target Dominguez’s body, adjusting his strategy to fight off his back foot. A shot from Rocha that appeared to be legal was ruled low by the referee, but Rocha continued to focus on body shots.

By the end of the third, Rocha had neutralized any success Dominguez had. Another body shot from Rocha at the end of the fourth appeared to hurt Dominguez, who again claimed it was low.

The fight remained methodical, with Rocha showing a new wrinkle to his game. He proved he could box and not just trade punches, staying focused for the full duration of the fight and demonstrating his ring intelligence against Dominguez.

Last October, Alexis Rocha was knocked out in the sixth round by Giovanni Santillan in Inglewood, California. This victory marks Rocha’s second consecutive win since that defeat. Prior to the loss, Rocha was ranked as the No. 1 welterweight in the WBO division.

What seemed like a stay-busy fight turned into a quality bout as featherweight Gregory Morales outlasted Jayvon Garnett in a 10-round featherweight contest to win a unanimous decision.

The judges scored the bout 96-94, 98-92 and 99-91 for Morales.

Morales (17-1, 9 KOs), 23, of San Antonio, started strong in the first round with a brilliant body attack. Garnett (10-2, 5 KOs), 29, of Cincinnati, then began to box well, finding success as Morales opted to stand in front of him. In the sixth round, a big right hand from Garnett, described by broadcaster Beto Duran as “the best punch of the night,” reeled Morales. Despite often following Garnett around the ring, Morales rocked Garnett with a clean shot in the eighth round as Garnett appeared to slow down, giving Morales his best round of the fight. Morales kept the pressure on and remained more active, securing the victory.

Just 22 days after his last fight, junior middleweight Grant Flores (6-0, 5 KOs), 19, of Thermal, California, showed no signs of fatigue as he stopped Juan Meza Moreno (4-7, 3 KOs), 34, of Los Angeles in the second round. Referee Ray Corona halted the bout at 1:54 after a series of unanswered punches. Flores landed cleanly throughout the first round, prompting veteran broadcaster and former titleholder Sergio Mora to predict a highlight-reel knockout. Flores, the main sparring partner of Israil Madrimov as he prepares for an Aug. 3 fight with Terence Crawford, proved his dominance despite the referee’s intervention.

Undefeated Jorge Chavez (12-0, 8 KOs), 24, of San Diego, won a six-round unanimous decision over Riku Kitani (8-3, 3 KOs), 23, who is from Japan but now trains in Mexico. Despite competitive moments, Chavez’s craft made the difference, with the judges scoring the bout 60-54 on all three scorecards.

Lightweight Bryan Lua (10-0, 5 KOs), 26, of Madera, California, stopped journeyman Diuhl Olguin (16-39-7, 10 KOs), 35, of Mexico, as referee Ray Corona halted the contest at 2:03 of the fifth round. Lua showed a massive power and size advantage as he became just the fourth fighter to stop Olguin.