Tag: George Ashie

Alexis Rocha focused more on maintaining momentum than Terence Crawford

Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha is focused more on maintaining momentum than a shot at Terence Crawford’s title.

Alexis Rocha vs. Terence Crawford?

Seems like a mismatch on paper, a capable, but evolving young welterweight contender against arguably the best fighter on the planet Even Rocha recognizes that Crawford would represent a mammoth challenge for him.

He asks a good question, though: How are you going to know what you’re capable of if you don’t try?

“You won’t know if you’re ready until you’re in there with him,” Rocha told Boxing Junkie. “I feel I’m ready. Once I’m actually in there it could be a whole different ball game. That’s how it works.

“With anything in life, if you want bigger opportunities, you have to take risks. Fighting Terence Crawford could be a life-changing opportunity.”

A fight between Rocha, the WBO’s No. 3 contender, and champion Crawford became more realistic after the former’s impressive victory over late replacement George Ashie on Jan. 28 in Inglewood, California, not far from Rocha’s home in Orange County.

Rocha, a southpaw, fought through a bad cut to put Ashie down twice, the second time with a single right hook that ended the fight instantaneously. It was a good look on national TV.

The 25-year-old acknowledged that it was a nice step in his career but cautioned that there is a lot of work ahead.

“The job is always to make a statement,” he said. “I knew I needed to make a BIG statement, a highlight-reel knockout in a main event. I’m knocking on the door for bigger names, bigger opportunities. What could’ve been better than a highlight-reel knockout?

“… (But) I don’t feel I’m peaking yet. I’ve barely started. I just hit 25 a couple of months ago. This is just the beginning.”

Thus, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) didn’t land a fight with Crawford anytime soon.

He’s open about the fact he has room to improve. For example, he said he’s working on not staying in the pocket too long, which can be a strategy for avoiding big shots and prolonging one’s career.

The way he figures it: The longer it takes for him to get his big opportunity, the better he will be.

“My job is just to be ready as a fighter,” he said. “As long as I keep winning, as long as I keep making statements, my time to fight for a title will come. I just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

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Alexis Rocha focused more on maintaining momentum than Terence Crawford

Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha is focused more on maintaining momentum than a shot at Terence Crawford’s title.

Alexis Rocha vs. Terence Crawford?

Seems like a mismatch on paper, a capable, but evolving young welterweight contender against arguably the best fighter on the planet Even Rocha recognizes that Crawford would represent a mammoth challenge for him.

He asks a good question, though: How are you going to know what you’re capable of if you don’t try?

“You won’t know if you’re ready until you’re in there with him,” Rocha told Boxing Junkie. “I feel I’m ready. Once I’m actually in there it could be a whole different ball game. That’s how it works.

“With anything in life, if you want bigger opportunities, you have to take risks. Fighting Terence Crawford could be a life-changing opportunity.”

A fight between Rocha, the WBO’s No. 3 contender, and champion Crawford became more realistic after the former’s impressive victory over late replacement George Ashie on Jan. 28 in Inglewood, California, not far from Rocha’s home in Orange County.

Rocha, a southpaw, fought through a bad cut to put Ashie down twice, the second time with a single right hook that ended the fight instantaneously. It was a good look on national TV.

The 25-year-old acknowledged that it was a nice step in his career but cautioned that there is a lot of work ahead.

“The job is always to make a statement,” he said. “I knew I needed to make a BIG statement, a highlight-reel knockout in a main event. I’m knocking on the door for bigger names, bigger opportunities. What could’ve been better than a highlight-reel knockout?

“… (But) I don’t feel I’m peaking yet. I’ve barely started. I just hit 25 a couple of months ago. This is just the beginning.”

Thus, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) didn’t land a fight with Crawford anytime soon.

He’s open about the fact he has room to improve. For example, he said he’s working on not staying in the pocket too long, which can be a strategy for avoiding big shots and prolonging one’s career.

The way he figures it: The longer it takes for him to get his big opportunity, the better he will be.

“My job is just to be ready as a fighter,” he said. “As long as I keep winning, as long as I keep making statements, my time to fight for a title will come. I just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

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Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev rolls on but biggest challenge lies ahead

Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev kept his knockout streak alive but his biggest challenge lies ahead.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER

Artur Beterbiev – Nineteen knockouts in as many professional fights. The last eight in title fights, including an eighth-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde on Saturday in London. That means even elite opponents can’t survive against the 175-pound titleholder. And he’s still doing it at 38 years old. All that is impressive any way you look at it. Beterbiev isn’t a one-punch knockout artist, a la Deontay Wilder. He’s an excellent, experienced boxer adept at landing heavy, precise punches that break down both the bodies and will of his foes. Yarde gave a brave performance but simply couldn’t take anymore in the end, further evidence of Beterbiev’s destructive ability. Is he in the class of Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue? Probably not. They’re far more dynamic than he is. Then again, if Beterbiev gets the fight he wants – against Dmitry Bivol – and wins, we might have to reevaluate his place among the best fighters in the world.

 

BIGGEST LOSER

The end is near for Anthony Yarde. James Chance / Getty Images

Anthony Yarde – The Londoner gave a solid performance, which is why he was leading on two of the three scorecards after seven rounds. He gave a stalking Beterbiev problems with his quickness and movement while also connecting on enough punches to impress the judges, which made the fight competitive. Yarde’s problem was his limited defensive ability. He simply took too many damaging blows, which led to his demise over time. In other words, Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) wasn’t good enough to beat a fighter with Beterbiev’s ability. Where does he go from here? He probably performed well enough to get more opportunities going forward if he can get a few victories under his belt. One thing he might want to consider: Work with a fitness expert to reduce his bulk. That could enhance both his speed and stamina. Who knows? He might end up at 168 pounds.

 

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

Dmitry Bivol – Beterbiev and Bivol appear to be on a collision course for the undisputed championship, assuming competing promotional loyalties can be overcome. Who wins? Bivol. Of course, you can’t dismiss Beterbiev’s chances for the reasons listed above. He hasn’t stopped all of his opponents by accident. The problem for Beterbiev is that he hasn’t faced anyone near Bivol’s ability. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Marcus Browne, Joe Smith Jr. and Yarde are good; Bivol is special, as he demonstrated in his convincing victory over Canelo Alvarez last May. Alvarez is naturally smaller than Beterbiev but he has a similar style; he patiently, but inevitably breaks down his opponents to win fights. The Mexican star couldn’t do that against Bivol because of Bivol’s size advantage and superior boxing ability, particularly his defensive skills. Of course, Bivol wouldn’t have a size advantage over Beterbiev but he’s a much better boxer. That would be the difference in the fight.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

News item: Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have agreed to meet on pay-per-view Feb. 26. I want to say I don’t care one iota because it’s a gimmicky matchup between hucksters who are more adept at marketing themselves than actually fighting. The fact is I’m curious. Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) might be the best fighter Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) will have faced. Can Paul land his big right hand against the half brother of Tyson Fury? Or will he meet his match against a good athlete with some boxing ability? I’ll be watching to find out. What can I say? They got me. … Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) delivered a dramatic knockout on Saturday in Inglewood, California, stopping late replacement and naturally smaller George Ashie (33-6-1, 25 KOs) with a right hook in the seventh round. The victory doesn’t mean much because of Ashie’s limitations but Rocha did what he set out to do, which was to make a statement. He’s ranked No. 3 by the WBO, behind only champion Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. Is Rocha in the class of such fighters? I’ll just say that he hasn’t demonstrated that yet. He called out Crawford after his victory over Ashie. Nothing I saw on Saturday leads me to believe Rocha can compete with the pound-for-pound king.

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Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev rolls on but biggest challenge lies ahead

Weekend Review: Artur Beterbiev kept his knockout streak alive but his biggest challenge lies ahead.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER

Artur Beterbiev – Nineteen knockouts in as many professional fights. The last eight in title fights, including an eighth-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde on Saturday in London. That means even elite opponents can’t survive against the 175-pound titleholder. And he’s still doing it at 38 years old. All that is impressive any way you look at it. Beterbiev isn’t a one-punch knockout artist, a la Deontay Wilder. He’s an excellent, experienced boxer adept at landing heavy, precise punches that break down both the bodies and will of his foes. Yarde gave a brave performance but simply couldn’t take anymore in the end, further evidence of Beterbiev’s destructive ability. Is he in the class of Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue? Probably not. They’re far more dynamic than he is. Then again, if Beterbiev gets the fight he wants – against Dmitry Bivol – and wins, we might have to reevaluate his place among the best fighters in the world.

 

BIGGEST LOSER

The end is near for Anthony Yarde. James Chance / Getty Images

Anthony Yarde – The Londoner gave a solid performance, which is why he was leading on two of the three scorecards after seven rounds. He gave a stalking Beterbiev problems with his quickness and movement while also connecting on enough punches to impress the judges, which made the fight competitive. Yarde’s problem was his limited defensive ability. He simply took too many damaging blows, which led to his demise over time. In other words, Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) wasn’t good enough to beat a fighter with Beterbiev’s ability. Where does he go from here? He probably performed well enough to get more opportunities going forward if he can get a few victories under his belt. One thing he might want to consider: Work with a fitness expert to reduce his bulk. That could enhance both his speed and stamina. Who knows? He might end up at 168 pounds.

 

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

Dmitry Bivol – Beterbiev and Bivol appear to be on a collision course for the undisputed championship, assuming competing promotional loyalties can be overcome. Who wins? Bivol. Of course, you can’t dismiss Beterbiev’s chances for the reasons listed above. He hasn’t stopped all of his opponents by accident. The problem for Beterbiev is that he hasn’t faced anyone near Bivol’s ability. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Marcus Browne, Joe Smith Jr. and Yarde are good; Bivol is special, as he demonstrated in his convincing victory over Canelo Alvarez last May. Alvarez is naturally smaller than Beterbiev but he has a similar style; he patiently, but inevitably breaks down his opponents to win fights. The Mexican star couldn’t do that against Bivol because of Bivol’s size advantage and superior boxing ability, particularly his defensive skills. Of course, Bivol wouldn’t have a size advantage over Beterbiev but he’s a much better boxer. That would be the difference in the fight.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

News item: Jake Paul and Tommy Fury have agreed to meet on pay-per-view Feb. 26. I want to say I don’t care one iota because it’s a gimmicky matchup between hucksters who are more adept at marketing themselves than actually fighting. The fact is I’m curious. Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) might be the best fighter Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) will have faced. Can Paul land his big right hand against the half brother of Tyson Fury? Or will he meet his match against a good athlete with some boxing ability? I’ll be watching to find out. What can I say? They got me. … Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) delivered a dramatic knockout on Saturday in Inglewood, California, stopping late replacement and naturally smaller George Ashie (33-6-1, 25 KOs) with a right hook in the seventh round. The victory doesn’t mean much because of Ashie’s limitations but Rocha did what he set out to do, which was to make a statement. He’s ranked No. 3 by the WBO, behind only champion Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. Is Rocha in the class of such fighters? I’ll just say that he hasn’t demonstrated that yet. He called out Crawford after his victory over Ashie. Nothing I saw on Saturday leads me to believe Rocha can compete with the pound-for-pound king.

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Alexis Rocha stops George Ashie with huge hook in Round 7

Alexis Rocha stopped George Ashie with a singe right hook in Round 7 on Saturday in Inglewood, California.

Alexis Rocha took another step toward a truly big fight.

The welterweight contender put late replacement George Ashie down twice and stopped him with one punch in the seventh round Saturday at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. The official time of the stoppage was 2:08.

Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) had been scheduled to face Anthony Young but Young was pulled off the card early this week. And Ashie, a 38-year-old veteran from Ghana, agreed to step in.

Ashie proved to be willing but he didn’t have the skill set to avoid the shots Rocha was throwing at him.

Rocha, a southpaw, put Ashie down and hurt him with a vicious right hook with about 20 seconds remaining in Round 3. Ashie survived the round but the early adversity was a bad sign for him.

Rocha stayed on top of Ashie with a high volume of punches from then on, even after he suffered a bad cut from a clash of heads in Round 6. Ashie fired back at the hittable Rocha, never for a minute giving up, but Rocha’s punches began to wear him down.

Finally, in Round 7, Rocha landed another perfect right hook that put Ashie flat on his face. However, this time, with Ashie obviously unable to continue, referee Thomas Taylor immediately ended the fight.

Rocha now has won six consecutive fights since he was outpointed by slick Rashidi Ellis in October 2020, a successful run that has lifted into the rankings.

He’s the WBO’s No. 3 contender, behind only champion Terence Crawford, No. 1 Vergil Ortiz and No. 2 Keith Thurman, who is expected to challenge WBC titleholder Errol Spence Jr.

The 25-year-old from Orange County, California, believes he’s ready for the level of opposition listed above.

“I’m ready for the big names,” Rocha said. “Errol Spence doesn’t want to fight Crawford for some reason; he’s fighting Thurman. I’m next in the WBO. I want Crawford next. …

“I know what I’m capable of. I know when I fight, whoever it is in front of me, I’ll take it to the next level.”

Alexis Rocha stops George Ashie with huge hook in Round 7

Alexis Rocha stopped George Ashie with a singe right hook in Round 7 on Saturday in Inglewood, California.

Alexis Rocha took another step toward a truly big fight.

The welterweight contender put late replacement George Ashie down twice and stopped him with one punch in the seventh round Saturday at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. The official time of the stoppage was 2:08.

Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) had been scheduled to face Anthony Young but Young was pulled off the card early this week. And Ashie, a 38-year-old veteran from Ghana, agreed to step in.

Ashie proved to be willing but he didn’t have the skill set to avoid the shots Rocha was throwing at him.

Rocha, a southpaw, put Ashie down and hurt him with a vicious right hook with about 20 seconds remaining in Round 3. Ashie survived the round but the early adversity was a bad sign for him.

Rocha stayed on top of Ashie with a high volume of punches from then on, even after he suffered a bad cut from a clash of heads in Round 6. Ashie fired back at the hittable Rocha, never for a minute giving up, but Rocha’s punches began to wear him down.

Finally, in Round 7, Rocha landed another perfect right hook that put Ashie flat on his face. However, this time, with Ashie obviously unable to continue, referee Thomas Taylor immediately ended the fight.

Rocha now has won six consecutive fights since he was outpointed by slick Rashidi Ellis in October 2020, a successful run that has lifted into the rankings.

He’s the WBO’s No. 3 contender, behind only champion Terence Crawford, No. 1 Vergil Ortiz and No. 2 Keith Thurman, who is expected to challenge WBC titleholder Errol Spence Jr.

The 25-year-old from Orange County, California, believes he’s ready for the level of opposition listed above.

“I’m ready for the big names,” Rocha said. “Errol Spence doesn’t want to fight Crawford for some reason; he’s fighting Thurman. I’m next in the WBO. I want Crawford next. …

“I know what I’m capable of. I know when I fight, whoever it is in front of me, I’ll take it to the next level.”

Alexis Rocha vs. George Ashie: date, time, how to watch, background

Alexis Rocha vs. George Ashie: date, time, how to watch, background.

Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha will face late replacement George Ashie on Saturday in Inglewood, California (DAZN).

ALEXIS ROCHA (21-1, 13 KOS) VS. GEORGE ASHIE (33-5-1, 25 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Jan. 28
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: YouTube Theater, Inglewood, California
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Welterweight (147 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Floyd Schofield vs. Alberto Mercado, lightweights; Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Daniel Terry, super middleweights; Oscar Collazo vs. Yudel Reyes, strawweights
  • Prediction: Rocha UD
  • Background: Rocha has won five consecutive fights since he lost a unanimous decision to slick Rashidi Ellis in 2020, a streak that has lifted into the rankings of two of the four major sanctioning bodies. He’s the WBO’s No. 3 contender, behind only titleholder Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. The 25-year-old boxer-puncher from Orange County, California, is coming off a near-shutout decision over Jesus Antonio Perez Campos last October. Ashie agreed to fight Rocha early this week after original opponent Anthony Young was removed from the card. Ashie has fought primarily in his native Ghana. The 38-year-old has won five consecutive fights — all in Ghana — since he lost a close decision to Irishman Stephen Ormond in 2018 in Scotland. He last fought in March of last year, when he countryman Robert Quaye in eight rounds in Accra.

Alexis Rocha vs. George Ashie: date, time, how to watch, background

Alexis Rocha vs. George Ashie: date, time, how to watch, background.

Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha will face late replacement George Ashie on Saturday in Inglewood, California (DAZN).

ALEXIS ROCHA (21-1, 13 KOS) VS. GEORGE ASHIE (33-5-1, 25 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Jan. 28
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: YouTube Theater, Inglewood, California
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Welterweight (147 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Floyd Schofield vs. Alberto Mercado, lightweights; Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Daniel Terry, super middleweights; Oscar Collazo vs. Yudel Reyes, strawweights
  • Prediction: Rocha UD
  • Background: Rocha has won five consecutive fights since he lost a unanimous decision to slick Rashidi Ellis in 2020, a streak that has lifted into the rankings of two of the four major sanctioning bodies. He’s the WBO’s No. 3 contender, behind only titleholder Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz and Keith Thurman. The 25-year-old boxer-puncher from Orange County, California, is coming off a near-shutout decision over Jesus Antonio Perez Campos last October. Ashie agreed to fight Rocha early this week after original opponent Anthony Young was removed from the card. Ashie has fought primarily in his native Ghana. The 38-year-old has won five consecutive fights — all in Ghana — since he lost a close decision to Irishman Stephen Ormond in 2018 in Scotland. He last fought in March of last year, when he countryman Robert Quaye in eight rounds in Accra.