Alexis Rocha will take on his biggest risk yet while waiting out a title shot.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the streaking contender will next face unbeaten welterweight Giovani Santillan. A date and location are not yet set for the intriguing bout, though it is targeted for a October 21 show in Southern California where both boxers are based as well as Golden Boy Promotions’ headquarters.
It remains unclear if an interim title will be made available. Both boxers are rated in the top five of the WBO’s most recent welterweight rankings—Santillan is number one, while Rocha is the number-one and mandatory contender.
Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0, 31KOs) is the division’s undisputed champion but is likely to take a more high-profile fight for his next outing.
The agreement in place comes without a confirmed televised date. It will likely headline a DAZN show but that part was not yet finalized, Boxing Scene has learned. Rocha regularly fights on DAZN through Golden Boy’s deal with the streaming service; Santillan fights for Top Rank and is managed by David McWater.
The fight will mark the third ring appearance of 2023 for the active Rocha (23-1, 15KOs), as well as his seventh fight in just over two years following his lone career defeat.
The 26-year-old southpaw from Santa Ana headlined a pair of DAZN shows while waiting out his due shot at the WBO title. He scored a highlight reel, seventh-round knockout of George Ashie on January 28 atop the first ever boxing event at what was a sold-out YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. Rocha was originally due to face Anthony Young, whom he would fight and stop inside of five rounds on May 28 in Indio, California.
Santillan (31-0, 16KOs) ended an eleven-month unwelcomed ring absence with a ten-round points win over Erick Bone this past July 22 in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
The 31-year-old southpaw from San Diego has enjoyed a steady rise through the ranks although his two most notable wins were both met with mild criticism over the final outcome. His June 2020 majority decision over former lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco could have easily gone the other way, while a ten-round, unanimous decision over then-unbeaten Julio Luna was rightly criticized for a pair of 100-90 scores in a very competitive fight.
Rocha has won seven straight since an October 2020 defeat to Rashidi Ellis when both were prospects. He has since emerged as the top-rated challenger to the WBO welterweight title. However, he was forced to go another route when it was learned that Crawford agreed to terms for a superfight with Errol Spence (28-1, 22KOs) for the undisputed championship.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox