Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1,15 KOs) of Santa Ana defended his NABO Welterweight title with an impressive fifth-round knockout against Anthony “Juice” Young (24-3, 8 KOs), thereby cementing his top spot on the WBO rankings. The fight was the main event broadcasted live on DAZN from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, presented in collaboration with Hard Hitting Promotions. This marked Rocha’s seventh fight in a span of 23-months, his consistent pressure eventually causing Young to crumble. The fight was halted by the referee at 2:25 into the fifth round.
Rocha remarked after his victory, “Having anticipated the same energy from him as in his bout with Sadam Ali, I was prepared.” He expressed his desire to face the victor of the Spence-Crawford fight, confident that his outstanding promoter, Golden Boy and Oscar De La Hoya, would make it possible.
Among the special guests attending the event were Golden Boy’s Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Partner Bernard Hopkins, actors Gabriel Soto and Alfie Allen, and numerous 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 the co-main event presented with Cancun Boxing, Oscar Duarte (26-1-1, 11 KOs) from Parral, Chihuahua demonstrated an assertive performance in the lightweight category, securing an 11th consecutive knockout victory. His opponent, D’Angelo “King” Keyes (17-3, 11 KOs) from Houston, Texas, was floored twice – in the third and seventh rounds. The originally scheduled 10-round bout ended in the seventh round, with Keyes’ corner signaling their concession.
Duarte reflected on the match, saying, “Despite the tough and well-prepared rival, our initial strategy of slowly breaking him down worked.” He wasn’t in pursuit of a knockout but knew it would come naturally due to his rigorous preparation and growing maturity. Duarte expressed a desire to face William Zepeda in the future.
Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (7-0, 4 KOs) from Villalba, Puerto Rico, became the fastest world champion in the minimumweight division, adding his name to the esteemed list of Puerto Rican fighters. His opponent Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem (20-2, 12 KOs) from Santos City, Philippines, conceded at the end of the seventh round, crowning Collazo the new WBO Minimumweight Champion.
The DAZN broadcast began with John “Scrappy” Ramirez (12-0, 8 KOs) from Los Angeles securing a split decision victory against Fernando “Leoncito” Diaz (12-4-1, 4 KOs) from Riverside, CA, in a 10-round super flyweight fight.
The Golden Boy Fight Night: Rocha vs. Young Prelims streamed live on the Golden Boy Boxing YouTube page, featured the debut of Eric Priest (10-0, 7 KOs) from Los Angeles under Golden Boy Promotions. Priest unanimously won an eight-round middleweight fight against Ricardo Villalba (20-9-1, 8 KOs) from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The recently signed Golden Boy prospect from Santa Ana, Johnny Cañas (1-0), earned a unanimous decision victory against Jose Alvarado (1-8) of Puebla, Mexico, in a four-round super lightweight fight.
