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Alexis Rocha Seals His No.1 WBO Rank
With KO Win Over Anthony Young
Solidifying his worthy place at No.1 on the WBO rankings,
Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1,15 KOs) of Santa Ana successfully
defended his NABO Welterweight title against Anthony “Juice”
Young (24-3, 8 KOs) with a fifth-round knockout victory as
the main event live on DAZN from Fantasy Springs Resort
Casino and presented in association with Hard Hitting
Promotions. The seventh time Rocha has fought in 23-months,
his pressure on Young starting from the first round
eventually broke the veteran fighter down. The referee
stopped the fight at 2:25 in the fifth round.
“I knew he was going to come in with the same energy he did
when he fought Sadam Ali, and I was ready for that,” said
Alexis Rocha. “I want the winner of the Spence-Crawford
fight, and I am confident with the help of my amazing
promoter, Golden Boy and Oscar De La Hoya, we’ll make it
happen.”
Special guests of the night included Chairman and CEO of
Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Partner Bernard
Hopkins, Actor Gabriel Soto, Actor Alfie Allen, and a number
of fighters including Rolando "Rolly" Romero, Jousce
Gonzalez, Manuel "Gucci Manny Flores, Grant Flores, Jorge
Chavez, Joet Gonzalez, Ricardo Sandoval, Christian "Chimpa"
Gonzalez, and Lorraine Villalobos.
In a dominant performance, lightweight fighter Oscar Duarte
(26-1-1, 11 KOs) of Parral, Chihuahua added an 11th-straight
knockout win to his resume as the co-main event that was
presented in association with Cancun Boxing. Duarte sent his
opponent D’Angelo “King” Keyes (17-3, 11 KOs) of Houston,
Texas to the mat twice; once in the third round and in the
seventh round. Originally scheduled for 10-rounds, Keyes
only made it to the end of the seventh where his corner
waived the white towel.
“This was an amazing fight, with a great rival who was
incredibly tough and very prepared,” said Oscar Duarte.
“From the beginning, our plan was to break him down little
by little. As I said in previous interviews, I wasn’t going
to go looking for the knockout, I just knew it was going to
happen naturally just based on how well I had prepared and
how I have matured physically and mentally. I would love a
fight against William Zepeda.”
Making history for Villalba, Puerto Rico, Oscar “El Pupilo”
Collazo (7-0, 4 KOs) etched his name amongst the greats of
Puerto Rican fighters and his division by being the fastest
to become a world champion in the minimumweight division. He
became the new WBO Minimumweight Champion when his opponent,
former champion of Santos City, Philippines, Melvin “Gringo”
Jerusalem (20-2, 12 KOs) retired in his corner at the
conclusion of the seventh round.
“We knew we had a solid challenge ahead of us, but thanks to
my corner, they helped me stay calm throughout the fight,”
said Oscar Collazo. “I knew I had to establish the pace with
my jab, and by the fourth or fifth round we started to hit
the body and he didn’t like it. We chopped the tree and we
made history for Villalba. I will see you all in Puerto Rico
in August, where I will make my first title defense.”
Opening the DAZN broadcast, Los Angeles’ John “Scrappy”
Ramirez (12-0, 8 KOs) fought in one of his toughest fights
yet against Riverside, CA’s warrior Fernando “Leoncito” Diaz
(12-4-1, 4 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight fight. Ramirez
secured a split division victory with judges scoring the
fight 96-94, 94-96, and 96-94.
The Golden Boy Fight Night: Rocha vs. Young Prelims,
streamed live on the Golden Boy Boxing YouTube page,
featured the highly anticipated debut of Eric Priest (10-0,
7 KOs) of Los Angeles under the Golden Boy Promotions
banner. Priest faced a resilient fighter from Buenos Aires,
Argentina, Ricardo Villalba (20-9-1, 8 KOs), in an
eight-round middleweight fight that went the distance. The
judges scored the bout unanimously in favor of Priest with
scores of 79-73, 80-72, 80-72.
In a pro-debut performance, recently signed Golden Boy
prospect of Santa Ana, Johnny Cañas (1-0) secured an
unanimous decision victory against the tough Jose Alvarado
(1-8) of Puebla, Mexico. The judges scored the four-round
super lightweight fight 40-36, 39-37, 39-37.
Opening fight night and the Golden Boy YouTube Prelims with
a dazzling knockout in front of a hometown Coachella crowd,
Leonardo “Bazooka” Sanchez (5-0, 4 KOs) added yet another
highlight reel performance in his super featherweight fight
against Uhlices Reyes (1-1, 1 KO) of Omaha, Nebraska.
Scheduled for four-rounds, Sanchez sent Reyes to the mat
once in the first round and twice during the second, ending
the fight at 1:01 in second round.
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