Rocha vs Young set to headline Jan. 28 DAZN show
Alexis Rocha will face Anthony Young in a Jan. 28 DAZN main event.
Golden Boy won’t have Ryan Garcia out on Jan. 28, but the promoters are keeping the date on DAZN and filling what was otherwise now going to be an empty night on the schedule this month.
In their main event, Alexis Rocha will face Anthony Young in a 12-round welterweight bout at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif.
Rocha (21-1, 13 KO) has won five straight since a 2020 loss to Rashidi Ellis, picking up solid wins and keeping himself in the fringe mix of the 147 lb division. The 25-year-old southpaw isn’t really taking a step up on paper in this fight, but at least he’s staying active.
If Young’s name rings a bell but you’re not immediately sure why, it’s probably from his 2019 upset stoppage win over Sadam Ali on the Canelo vs Jacobs card. He has turned that into absolutely nothing, basically, not fighting again until July 2021, and picking up three wins over lower-level opposition
“This fight will set the stage for my best year yet. I have patiently worked to reach the point of being the main event on a major card and now I’m here,” said Rocha. “2022 provided its challenges, as I had to overcome a hand injury, but it made me stronger. I can’t wait to start the year with a knockout victory. Now it’s time to put on a show.”
“I’m just thankful for the opportunity to perform on this platform,” said Young. “With the beliefs and strength of Allah we are going to shock the world twice.”
On the undercard:
- Floyd Schofield will face Alberto Mercado in a 10-round lightweight bout. Schofield (12-0, 10 KO) is rapidly emerging as one of Golden Boy’s most promising prospects, and the 34-year-old Mercado (16-1-1, 3 KO) is a solid next step.
- Oscar Collazo (5-0, 3 KO) taes on Wilfredo Mendez (18-2, 6 KO) in a WBO 105 lb eliminator, which is a really good fight, and the sort of thing that could be added to beef up so many U.S. undercards for diehard fans. Collazo is coming off of a really good win over Vic Saludar last July. Mendez beat Saludar for the WBO title in 2019, defended it twice, and then lost it to Masataka Taniguchi in Dec. 2021. He’s bounced back with two wins and now aims to shoot back into the title race.
- Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1, 8 KO) will be in a 10-round super middleweight fight. Given the card is in 22 days and he’s firmly slotted as the opener of this broadcast, I wouldn’t expect much of the opponent, to be “announced soon.”