Alexis Rocha defeated Santiago Dominguez by unanimous decision in 10 rounds

Written by Jack Walsh

ALEXIS Rocha defeated Santiago Dominguez in 10 rounds last night in their welterweight bout. Rocha scored 99-91 (double) and 98-92 decision wins, taking the vacant WBO-NABO championship.

Headlining at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, Rocha’s speed and consistent ring intensity proved difficult for Dominguez.

In the first two rounds, both fighters came out hot, landing strong flurries, counters and hooks to the body in a fast-paced fight.

The third round saw Rocha’s new and improved southpaw show off his improved fighting style. He’s boxing on the back foot, hitting Dominguez with dodges and counters while using his jab.

Twice in the round, Dominguez landed low blows on what was already a body shot for the belt. Rocha was consistent in landing devastating shots throughout the fight, leaving Dominguez to win at times.

Moving forward, Rocha has picked up the pace and looks like a different fighter than we’ve seen before. His constant combos and well-timed counters continued into the middle and late rounds. Rocha, 27, didn’t force the gun or fight with the ropes like he usually does.

After the attack, Rocha would get out of trouble on the back, towards the center of the ring, before Dominguez unleashed his power of pressure – fighting from an angle.

Dominguez couldn’t help himself in the ring, however, tagging Rocha several times throughout the 10-round bout.

It was apparent that Rocha planned to fight with technique and boxing rather than just trading shots, which DAZN confirmed in a post-fight interview.

He also revealed that he still believes that he has a chance to fight for the world title. This is Rocha’s second win since his sixth round loss to Giovani Santillan. In March, Alexis forced Fredrick Lawson to retire before the 8th round.

Rocha (ranked #9 by the WBO entering) improved to 25-2 (16 KOs), while Dominguez (#11) suffered his first loss, dropping to 27-1 (20 KOs) .