A despondent Alexis ‘Lex’ Rocha 23-2 (15) has reflected on what he did wrong in his sixth-round knockout loss to Giovani ‘Gallo de Oro’ Santillan 32-0 (17) at the KIA Forum in Inglewood, California on Saturday night.
The WBO number one welterweight contender was outhustled and outpunched by Santillan in their all-southpaw battle. Santillan, 31, started fast and never let his foot off the gas, busting the 26-year-old’s nose early in the contest, dropping him twice in the fifth and finishing him off in the sixth.
Rocha was dragged into a phonebooth war from the opening bell and got the worst of the inside exchanges.
“We’ll back better, 100%. I promise you that,” Rocha said at the post-fight press conference. “Credit to him. I had a game plan and he had a game plan. I just wasn’t following my game plan and I paid the price.”
Rocha’s corner had very clear instructions for him during the fight.
“To box more,” he said. “I was in the pocket more. He was a tough guy. He didn’t hit too hard, but you don’t want to be in wars like that. If you’re in a war like that, a punch or two is bound to happen. I got clipped with a shot and I just wasn’t listening to my coaches at all.
“I was just standing in the pocket trading with him and that was my downfall. I should have boxed a lot more. I need to move my head more and box more.
“I’ll go back to the drawing board and go from there. I want to be back in the gym next week. I’ll recover and I want to be back. I don’t want to take time off. I better put pressure on. I better box more and be more intelligent. I just stood and traded with him.”
“The weight was fine, it was perfect. I knew his style. There’s no excuses here. He was the better man tonight and that’s just what it is.
“It’s my fault again. I should have moved my head, I should have clinched and I should have been on the outside more.
“I appreciate all of you guys being here and supporting me. I wasn’t at my best. I’m really down right now, but I’m doing my best to give you an interview. That’s what makes me a better person.
“I won’t be out for long. That was tough knowing that I brought a big crowd and I lost in front of a big crowd. It’s tough, but it’s boxing. Unfortunately, I’m at a low right now.”
Rocha was trailing 44-49, 43-50 and 45-48 at the time of the stoppage.
According to CompuBox, Santillan landed 167 of 367 of his total punches at 46% compared to 110 of 274 for Rocha at 40%.
Santillan landed 129 of 267 power shots for 48% and that included the 44 power shots that closed the show over the final two rounds.
