The NABO Welterweight Title Boxing match between Santa Ana, CA native Alexis Rocha (22-1) and George Ashie (35-5-1) of Accra, Ghana was supposed to be a 12-round bout.
During the seventh round, Rocha delivered a swift right hook to Ashie’s chin, causing him to hit the mat. The crowd erupted in cheers as Rocha was declared the winner by knockout. The Santa Ana native enjoyed competing in the first boxing match held in YouTube Theater.
“I loved it, the whole atmosphere is great,” Rocha said. “I brought a crowd … I hope to fight here again.”
Ashie fell during the third round; after that, Rocha knew that he had to add on pressure. Getting the knockout was a surreal experience for Rocha.
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“I can’t even explain when you get a knockout because so much time and effort and sacrifice go into this moment,” he said. “I exploded more with that hook instead of just loading up with it.”
It was announced on Tuesday that Ashie was to fight Rocha after his original opponent, Anthony Young, suffered a nose injury and could not fight. Rocha only had days to scout him.
“There’s not that much footage on him so I only found one fight where he fought this guy who was 20-0,” Rocha said. “We watched the whole eight rounds until the round he knocked him out in and we thought it was the other guy.”
This was Aishe’s first fight in the United States, most of his fights took place in Ghana. In lieu of the win, Rocha desires to have bigger matches, preferably at a bout against Terence Crawford (39-0).
The Omaha, NE native Crawford is the top welterweight in the world.
“Just give me my shot,” Rocha said. “I’ve been waiting in line, I’ve been knocking on the door.”
The title fight had six other matches on the card, including a battle between Floyd Schofield (13-0) and Alberto Mercado (17-4-1) for the WBA International Lightweight title. Schofield is a native of Texas who debuted as a pro boxer in January 2021.
Despite Mercado falling down twice in the second round, both boxers battled for all 10 rounds with Schofield winning by unanimous decision.
“My feet burn, but it was a good victory,” said Floyd Schofield. “To the fans, thank you for all the love and support, and next time I’ll definitely get that knockout. We want to fight Keyshawn Davis next.”
