Alexis Rocha vs Anthony Young Preview May 27th, 2023
Welterweight prospect Alexis Rocha of Santa Ana, California returns to the ring this Saturday, May 27th when he faces Anthony Young of Atlantic City, New Jersey with Rocha’s NBO NABO Welterweight Title on the line. The 12-rounder from Indio, California can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Rocha last fought in January when he stopped George Ashie in the seventh round. Young last stepped into the ring in October when he beat Jose Zarazoga by an eight-round unanimous nod. Rocha and Young were originally supposed to meet in January but Young pulled out just four days before the fight due to a nose injury and was replaced by Ashie.
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Rocha vs Young Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Anthony Young +700
- Alexis Rocha -1250
My Pick
The 25-year-old Rocha is a southpaw who enters the ring with a record of 22-1 with 14 Ko’s and has 129 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2016. As an amateur, Rocha became the youngest boxer to win a gold medal at the 2012 Junior Olympics when he was just 14 years old and was a six-time amateur national champion.
Rocha stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 70-inch reach and carries pretty good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 61 per cent. However, he’s gone the distance two of his last three fights. Rocha’s lone pro defeat came at the hands of Rashidi Ellis by way of 12-round unanimous decision in October, 2020 in a shot at the vacant WBC International Welterweight Title.
Rocha captured the vacant WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Crown in March, 2018 with a first-round stoppage of Miguel Perez and successfully defended it against Shoki Sakai, Berlin Abreu, Roberto Valenzuela Jr and Brad Soloman while stopping Abreu in the eighth round and Valenzuela after five. He then won the vacant WBO NABO Welterweight Belt last July with a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Alberto Veron and defended it against Jesus Campos and Ashie also had a ninth-round stoppage win over Blair Cobbs earlier in his career.
As for Young, don’t be misled by his name as he’s 10 years older than Rocha at the age of 35 and climbs through the ropes with a mark of 24-2 with 8 Ko’s. He’s boxed 135 rounds since turning pro back in 2011 following a brief amateur career. Young stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch reach which sees him give up an inch in height to Rocha but carries a two-inch reach advantage.
As far as power is concerned, Young is a pretty light puncher with a current knockout ratio of just 30.8 per cent and has stopped just two of his past 10 opponents. Young’s first defeat came to Patrick Boozer by six-round majority decision in 2014 while his second loss was by fifth-round TKO two fights later to Skender Halili in 2016.
Since turning pro Young has captured the vacant New Jersey State Welterweight Title in 2019 when he stopped Juan Rodriguez Jr in the sixth round. He added the vacant WBC USA Silver Welterweight Belt in his next fight by halting Sadam Ali in the third round. Young also has wins over Todd Manuel, Calvin Pritchard, Reggie Nash, Eduardo Flores, Samuel Amoako and Luis Sanchez.
Prediction…
Big things have been expected of Rocha and while he’s just 25 years old he has to beat the likes of a 35-year-old Anthony Young and step up the class of opposition soon if hopes to get a title shot. He’s got the edge over Young in age and power but Young shouldn’t be taken too lightly when it comes to his boxing skills as he’s won 13 fights in a row, albeit mainly against lower-grade opponents. There’s basically no pressure on Young at this stage of his career and if he’s relaxed and confident in the ring he could be a bit of a problem for Rocha. I’m expecting Rocha to get past him though.
Rocha has more power and is 10 years younger than Young.
Play: Rocha -1250 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Alexis Rocha betting • Anthony Young betting