Alexis Rocha carried out a brutal fight Saturday in Indio, California.
The 147-pound contender capped a dominant performance by stopping Anthony Young from overtaking his opponent in the fifth round of a scheduled 12-round game at Fantasy Springs Casino.
Roach (23-1, 15 KOs) cements his place as the WBO’s No. 1 contender, just behind champion Terence Crawford.
ALEXIS ROCHA ENDED 🔥#RochaYoung pic.twitter.com/ExXdATCVEB
– DAZN boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 28, 2023
“I am very strict with myself,” he said. “.. I give myself a ‘C’.” I still know I can grow more. And we’ll go from here.”
Everyone else will give him a higher score.
The left-hander took out Young (24-3, 8 KOs) with effective pressure, repeatedly slamming his body and connecting one powerful left to the other.
Young successfully counterattacked here and there but he couldn’t stop Rocha and couldn’t avoid the victor’s massive bombs.
The end came immediately when Rocha hit hard to the left, causing Young to get caught in the ropes and fall onto the canvas. He was able to get up but referee Thomas Taylor stopped the game after looking Young in the eye.
The official stoppage time is 2:15 of Round 5.
Rocha will have to wait to get Crawford into the ring. The title holder will face Errol Spence Jr. to compete for the undisputed welterweight championship on July 29 in Las Vegas.
Rocha would be a keen observer.
“I am a WBO mandator,” he said. “I want the winner [of Crawford-Spence] Next. And that’s it.”
