Alexis Rocha proved that having the gift of gab means nothing if it can’t translate into the ring.

The relatively quiet Rocha promised to hurt the garrulous Blair Cobbs, and he did just that, staggering the colorful Cobbs throughout their 10-round, all-southpaw welterweight main event bout Saturday night at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles. The methodical and accurate Rocha finally stopped Cobbs in the ninth round after a slew of combinations forced referee Rudy Barragan to intervene. The official time was 0:44.

In the pivotal round, Rocha, from nearby Irvine, landed a right hook out of the clinch, causing Cobbs, Las Vegas, to stumble back into the ropes. Rocha then whaled away at his maimed foe with combinations.

That sequence was preceded by an eighth round that saw Rocha drill Cobbs with an overhand left. Rocha, who pressed all night, followed up with a flurry, punctuated by a perfectly placed right hook that immediately dropped Cobbs for his first knockdown in the fight. A visibly hurt Cobbs, however, still had his legs under him. Rocha landed another left hand that nearly sent Cobbs tumbling to the canvas again.

“I will give myself a C,” Rocha said in the post-fight interview. “I got the knockout, but I know I could’ve done a lot better. He was running around, he was very awkward at first. It was hard for me to adjust.”

“It took me quite a while [to get Cobbs out of the ring], because I wasn't really listening to my coach," Rocha continued. "I was getting careless…not [cutting] the ring off and not using my combinations. But I could’ve gotten him out of there a long time ago.”

Rocha-Cobbs was originally supposed to be the support bout to Vergil Ortiz vs. Michael McKinson, but Ortiz fell ill less than a week out from the fight. Golden Boy, the promoter of the event, decided to upgrade Rocha-Cobb to the main event.

It turned out to be the right decision.

The two fighters put on a spirited performance, which was much needed after the largely listless and uneventful co-feature bout between welterweights McKinson and late replacement Alex Martin; McKinson won a wide unanimous decision.

With the win, Rocha improves to 19-1 with 13 knockouts. His lone loss came at the hands of Rashidi Ellis in 2020. Cobbs suffered his first defeat, dropping to 15-1-1 (10 KOs).

The polarizing Cobbs drew some headlines heading into the fight after he called out the top welterweights in the division, notably Errol Spence Jr., for refusing to take on tough assignments. Spence responded by calling the 32-year-old a "prospect."

Rocha, on the other hand, has probably earned himself a significant bout down the line. Rocha called out McKinson and Conor Benn after the bout.  

“Whoever they put in front of me is the person I want,” Rocha said. “I don’t duck anyone. Let’s get it on with McKinson. I know that fight was offered to us. McKinson, Conor Benn in the UK, that would be a great fight.”

Cobbs was complimentary in defeat.

“He landed some really good shots, and I couldn’t recover,” Cobbs said of Rocha. “He did a tremendous job.”

In the seventh round, Cobbs continued to display his skittish movement. After an uneventful two minutes, Cobbs connected on a hard left counter over Rocha’s jab. Cobbs followed up with another hard left right before the bell.

Rocha opened the sixth round by drilling Cobbs with another left hand. Cobbs took it well but clearly was not as confident in his ability to exchange with Rocha. Cobbs proceeded to run around the ring.

Midway through the fifth round, Rocha staggered Cobbs with a hard straight left. Cobbs took several steps back and allowed Rocha to tee off on him before he circled away to his right. Rocha followed up with another clean left hand, as an alarmed Cobbs tried to remain calm. Rocha would land yet another clean left hand, as the crowd roared. Cobbs ended the round missing with a wild shot

The fourth began with yet another furious salvo, with both fighters connecting on shots. Rocha landed a hard right body punch that seemed to get Cobbs’ attention. It was a better round for Rocha, who did not dial back his pressure.  

In the third round, Rocha continued to march forward. Early on, he landed a few left hands, but Cobbs would have the better moments. Cobbs found success countering with left hands of his own, while on his back foot. Towards the end of the round, Rocha’s right eye began to swell. A confident Cobbs connected on a right hook as the bell rang.

Both fighters started the second round by trading shots. Cobbs returned to working off his jab, while Rocha stalked. Rocha connected on a sharp left hand to close the round.

Neither fighter wasted time getting familiar with each other. The two started winging shots at the opening bell. Rocha landed the cleaner punches.