By: Sean Crose
Golden Boy Promotions and the DAZN streaming service had an explosive most important occasion Saturday as welterweights Alex Rocha and Giovani Santillan did battle at Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum. The winner would have the largest names on this largest of divisions on his horizon. The 23-1 Rocha fired his jab within the first whereas the 31-0 Santillan got here ahead behind a excessive guard. Suffice to say, it was the underdog Santillan who took what ended up being an thrilling opening spherical.
Rocha lowered the depth and labored the physique within the second. The common Rocha then moved on to beating his man to the punch within the third. Santillan, nonetheless, was working the physique himself – to noticeable impact. Sure sufficient, Santillan continued to grind within the fourth. He was rewarded for his efforts when a thunderous mixture put Rocha on the mat at first of the fifth.
His face a masks of blood, Rocha managed to get again to his ft in time. Santillan was on him like a pit bull, ripping pictures at his foe. Rocha slipped to the mat, however as soon as once more acquired again to his ft. Yet one other crushing collection of proper hooks put Rocha down as soon as extra. To his eternal credit score, Rocha as soon as once more beat the rely. Indeed, the person survived the spherical. Still, Rocha had taken a horrible beating. In the sixth, Santillan determined to finish issues. A ultimate flurry within the middle of the ring put Rocha to his knees. The referee, having seen sufficient, stopped the struggle.
“We didn’t know how the fight was going to turn out,” a sportsmanlike and smooth spoken Santillan admitted afterward, “but it was the result we were looking for.” He could also be smooth spoken however Santillan is really somebody who lets his fists do the speaking. He’s a official divisional menace.
*Image: Golden Boy Promotions
