LOS ANGELES – Alexis Rocha has revived his career after moving within reach of realizing his world title ambitions.

The welterweight suffered a devastating knockout loss to Giovani Santillan in October 2023. With this win, Santillan immediately catapulted himself into a chance to face Brian Norman Jnr. to compete. He fought for the interim WBO welterweight title and was also beaten by Norman, who has since been elevated to full champion status by the sanctioning body after Terence Crawford officially moved up to 154 pounds.

Since losing to Santillan, Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) has beaten Fredrick Lawson in March and Santiago Dominguez in July, and he will headline a Golden Boy Promotions card on DAZN on Saturday when he takes on knockout artist Raul Curiel (15 -0, 13 KOs) competes at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

“I’m rebuilding myself in a way so I have to work harder and more importantly smarter,” Rocha told BoxingScene. “I have the confidence in myself to get better every day. Once I do that, everything will fall into place.

“It’s an honor to headline fights and perform in front of all my fans who pay their hard-earned money to see me. Every fight is important to me. Every fight could lead to a world title, that’s how I have to look at it.”

Rocha said he got a little lost in the excitement of the fight against Santillan, which was held at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles in front of a rousing crowd. Rocha was knocked down three times and stopped within six rounds against the southpaw from San Diego.

“I was very well prepared mentally and physically for the Santillan fight,” Rocha explained. “It was more about listening to my coaches about the game plan. It’s hard when you have a crowded store and everyone is shouting your name while you’re being hit and you’re hitting them. It was a war. You start focusing on your emotions and not your brain. I learned that I have to use my brain no matter who it is against or where it is. You have to listen to the game plan.”

The 27-year-old Rocha, who lives near Santa Ana and has proven to be a draw for Oscar De La Hoya’s troupe, is likely to have a partisan crowd once again, as he has headlined several shows throughout Southern California.

Rocha is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBO, No. 7 by the IBF and No. 9 by the WBC. A big win against Curiel, who has eliminated his last ten opponents in the last five years, should further revitalize Lex’s career.

“Compared to Curiel, I am more focused and disciplined in what I have to do,” Rocha said. “He is a strong fighter who will bring many challenges. I can’t look past him. That’s all that matters to me. I need to take care of business so I can look forward to 2025.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, author and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached at X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn And YouTubeby email to manouk(dot)akopyan(at)gmail.com or by www.ManoukAkopyan.com.