Alexis Rocha has taken another step towards a really big fight.
The welterweight contender knocked out late substitute George Ashie twice and stopped him with a punch in the seventh round on Saturday at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. The official stop time is 2:08.
Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) was scheduled to face Anthony Young but Young was withdrawn earlier this week. And Ashie, a 38-year-old veteran from Ghana, agreed to participate.
ALEXIS ROCHA JUST DO IT#RochaAshie pic.twitter.com/X80HzhD9uA
– DAZN boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 29, 2023
Ashie appeared ready but he didn’t have the skill to dodge the shots Rocha threw at him.
Rocha, a men’s tennis player, knocked Ashie down and injured him with a dangerous right hook with about 20 seconds left in the 3rd round. Ashie survived the round but the early adversity was a bad omen. for him.
Rocha stayed on top of Ashie with a lot of punches from then on, even after he received a severe cut from a head impact in Round 6. Ashie shot back at Rocha, not giving up a minute, but the Rocha’s punches started to knock him down.
Finally, in Round 7, Rocha had another perfect right hook that sent Ashie to the ground. However, this time, with Ashie clearly unable to continue, referee Thomas Taylor immediately stopped the match.
Rocha has now won six straight games since he was overtaken by the slick Rashidi Ellis in October 2020, a success match that helped lead to promotion.
He’s the WBO’s #3 contender, just behind champion Terence Crawford, #1 Vergil Ortiz and #2 Keith Thurman, who is tipped to challenge for the WBC title Errol Spence Jr.
The 25-year-old from Orange County, California, believes he’s ready for the level of protest listed above.
“I’m ready for the big names,” Rocha said. “Errol Spence didn’t want to fight Crawford for some reason; he’s fighting Thurman. I’m next in WBO. I want Crawford next. …
“I know what I am capable of. I know when I fight, whoever is in front of me, I will take it to the next level.”
