Alexis Rocha and Giovani Santillan square off on Saturday, October 21 at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. No. 1 and No. 4-ranked welterweight contenders with the WBO, respectively, look to secure a world title shot. The pair battles it out in the main event live on DAZN. A few days ahead of their 12-round bout, the fighters hosted the final press conference, previewed their bout and went face to face.
Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) goes through the ropes for the third time in 2023. Santa Ana’s 26-year-old southpaw brings to the ring his NABO welterweight belt.
“I want to thank Giovani Santillan and his team taking this fight,” Rocha said. “We both knew this fight would come one day. We’re knocking on the door for title contention. He’s ready. I’m ready. We’re going to bring it. This is a fan friendly fight that could potentially end in a knockout either way, so you guys do not want to miss this.”
Santillan (31-0, 16 KOs) is a former NABO welterweight titleholder. Undefeated 31-year-old southpaw of San Diego makes his second ring appearance for the year.
“I’ve been working very hard and I’m very excited for this opportunity,” said Santillan. “I’m planning on making the most out of this, and I plan on making a statement. I’m finally getting a chance to show the world who I am as the main event at the Kia Forum. This is something very meaningful for me and it’s going to be an exciting night.”
Also in attendance at the press conference was Los Angeles native John “Scrappy” Ramirez (12-0, 9 KOs), who faces former world title challenger Ronal Batista (15-3, 9 KOs) of Panama City, Panama. The pair meets in the WBA super flyweight world title eliminator, serving as the co-feature.
“We had a plan,” Ramirez said. “The plan was to take the right fights, you know, to get to the world title. You see, a lot of people didn’t believe in me when I say that I’ll get here. But guess what? I wrote it down. I visualized it and made it happen. And I stayed hungry and when you get to this level it is easy. But to stay here is hard. And I’m here to stay. So, make sure you guys tune in October 21.”
Among other bouts featured on the card, four-time world champion Arely Mucino (32-3-2, 11 KOs) of Mexico defends her IBF flyweight belt in a 10-round bout against Coachella’s undefeated Gabriela Fundora (11-0, 4 KOs). As well, Rialto, California’s Ricardo Sandoval (22-2, 16 KOs) takes on Victor Efrain Sandoval (37-3, 23 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico in a 10-round bout at flyweight. In addition, David Stevens (13-0, 9 KO) of Reading, Pennsylvania goes up against Joeshon James (7-0-2, 4 KOs) of Vallejo, California in an eight-round bout at super middleweight.
In Australia, Rocha vs Santillan airs live on Sunday, October 22.
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