An absolute serve from trainer Hector Lopez has given Alexis Rocha all the motivation he needed to get the decision over welterweight Brad Solomon.
On the undercard of Ryan Garcia, one of boxing's youngest stars, making his 2020 return against former two-time world title challenger, Francisco Fonseca, Rocha dominated early before allowing Solomon back into the contest.
By the time the ninth round ended, what once appeared a matter of when, not if, for Rocha suddenly became a question.
In steps Lopez with a rev-up that drifted more towards savage than motivational.
"You're gonna f***ing hate yourself in the morning," Lopez fumed.
“Why are you pulling back – no; don’t tell me ‘yes’.
“Why?”
Those are the actual words he said – but check out the venom with which they’re said.
Trainer: "You're gonna f***ing hate yourself in the morning!"
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) February 15, 2020
Alexis Rocha: *okay, watch this* 👇 pic.twitter.com/jJVGEFyN2x
The results don’t lie; clearly, Rocha didn’t want to hate himself.
Rocha’s knockdown and unanimous points victory (100-89, 99-90, 97-92) belies how close the fight really was, with Solomon managing to beat the count in the 10th and snapping the welterweight prospect’s head back with an uppercut before the decision went to the judges.
The win improves Rocha’s record to 16-10 (10 Kos) in his first fight of 2020 after a December 13 KO win over Roberto Valenzuela, Jr.
