By Robert Segal: Alexis Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) weighed in at 147 lbs, and his opponent Giovani Santillan (31-0, 16 KOs) came in at 146 lbs during Friday’s weigh-in for their twelve round headliner welterweight clash on DAZN this Saturday night on October 21st at the KIA Forum in Inglewood, California. The broadcast begins live on DAZN at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Rocha is ranked #1 WBO, while Santillan is rated #5. Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya hopes that Rocha will challenge Terence Crawford for his WBO welterweight title next if things work out on Saturday night against Santillan.
Crawford said recently that he only wants bigger fights from now on, so the chances are, he’ll choose not to defend against Rocha and will eventually be stripped if he doesn’t vacate his WBO title.
Terence has his IBF mandatory defense due against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. He’s going to need to decide what he’s going to do with that belt as well.
Super flyweight John Ramirez (12-0, 8 KOs) weighed in at 115 lbs, and his opponent Ronal Batista (15-3, 9 KOs) came in at 114.2 lbs for their twelve round chief support bout.
Oscar De La Hoya: “Alexis Rocha is ranked #1 in the world [with the WBO]. He’s fighting an undefeated fighter Giovani Santillan, and he’s 31-0,” said De La Hoya to KTLA 5 about Saturday’s fight between Rocha & Santillan.
“It’s a great, great fight, a tough, and he’s next in line for a world title, which [Terence] Crawford holds, who is an amazing pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. It’s an exciting time for Rocha and his career, but first, he has to get past Santillan at the Forum on Saturday night. It’s going to be special.”
Alexis Rocha: “I’m very excited to go on and perform at The Forum where Oscar first had his pro debut, and I’m expecting some fireworks. It’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m more than ready for this. I know how to flip the switch. Right now, I’m very calm & relaxed. I’ve had a great training camp, it’s been tough, and I’m ready for this opportunity.
“Once I step in the ring, the switch goes on, and it’s that killer instinct. It can be a disadvantage if you take him lightly or you have the utmost respect for him, or you can take it to your advantage because you know his strengths & weaknesses too.”
De La Hoya: “My experience personally is that it’s real, but sometimes it’s not staged, but it gets the crowd going. It sells the fight most of the time,” said Oscar about the animosity from a heated face-off.
Rocha: “Most of the time, it’s real, and it builds up to the hype too.’
De La Hoya: “Incredible. Thirty-some odd years ago,” said Oscar about making his pro debut at The Forum. “It’s really amazing that I can come back as a promoter now and promote these young men who are literally in line to fulfill their dreams and become world champions and fighting at the fabulous Forum. I’m sure Alexis Rocha will do the best he can and go up against a really, really tough kid in Santillan.
“This is a great opportunity for everybody. It’s a great feeling. There’s so much history. Muhammad Ali fought there, and a lot of great champions fought there, so it’s going to be special for Alexis Rocha.”
Rocha: “I can’t wait. It’s getting me pumped up. I want to shed light on my city and be a great role model.”
De La Hoya. “That’s the great thing about boxing. You get to know all these young kids who have amazing stories. Every single higher has an incredible story and can inspire. Becoming a world champion, being on TV, and winning a world title inspires the youth. Alexis’ story is incredible.”
Alexis “Lex” Rocha 147 vs. Giovani Santillan 146.6
John “Scrappy” Ramirez 115 vs. Ronal Batista 114.2
Arely Mucino 111.8 vs. Gabriela Fundora 110.8
David Stevens 167 vs. Joeshon James 166.8
Ricardo Sandoval 111.8 vs. Victor Sandoval 111.2
