For Alexis Rocha, the road to a welterweight title is starting to feel like chasing a sunset – just as it comes into view, it slips over the horizon. Since his big win over Blair Cobbs, the 27-year-old southpaw Rocha has flirted with title shots but remains stuck in the limbo of near-misses.
Yet his dignity and sportsmanship are standing taller than ever.
Rocha entered the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California on Saturday night hoping to cement his place as a major player in the welterweight division. Instead, Rocha left with a majority draw against undefeated Raul Curiel in a thrilling fight that closed out Golden Boy Promotions’ 2024 calendar.
Dr. Lou Moret and Fernando Villarreal scored the fight 114-114, while Pat Russell gave Rocha the edge at 115-113. The final tally left Rocha still one fight away from a world title opportunity.
“I want a rematch,” Rocha said in the post-fight scrum. “That was a fun fight. I feel like I could have done more. I know I’m going to do a lot more in the second fight. Let’s run this back.”
The fight had moments that showcased the potential for both men to become title challengers. Curiel, a 29-year-old former Olympian who represented Mexico in 2016, trains at Wild Card Boxing under Freddie Roach. He entered the ring with a spotless record and a reputation for punching power but left with his first blemish at 15-0-1 (13 KOs).
“He proved he belongs in there with me,” Rocha, who is from Santa Ana, said. “The first couple rounds were very close. The middle rounds were still kind of close.”
According to CompuBox, Rocha landed 205 punches out of 818 thrown, while Curiel landed 232 of 732. Curiel also out-jabbed Rocha 81 to 33, but Rocha’s power punches told a different story, with Rocha landing 172 to Curiel’s 151.
Curiel’s frame and awkward timing made the fight tricky for Rocha early, and he admitted that he struggled to find his rhythm in the opening rounds. However, Rocha believed his late surge should have secured the win.
“I thought I pulled away late, especially the 10th, 11th, and 12th,” Rocha said. “He was landing punches, but they weren’t effective. I was landing the harder, bigger shots. But what he was doing, he was putting his punches together. Even though they didn’t hurt, they looked good and got the crowd excited.”
The draw snapped Rocha’s two-fight win streak and moved his record to 25-2-1 (16 KOs). Still, he viewed the night as a learning opportunity.
“I’ve got to listen to my coach,” Rocha said. “When I followed the game plan, I had success.”
When asked if he felt he had figured Curiel out, Rocha stated. “Yeah, I think I did. I think I know what to improve on.”
Pressed to elaborate, Rocha said simply: “Be more disciplined. We just want to run it back. We brought an exciting fight, and they brought a lot of fans. I’m very content.”
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