USUALLY a draw is met by disappointment and regret, but in the Toyota Arena, Ontario, last night, both Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel were happy with the result, happy with life and ready to run it back all over again. The fans weren’t complaining either, showing their appreciation as Curiel yelled “Viva Mexico” down the DAZN mic.
While it never quite approached the classic all-Mexican affairs of Barrera, Morales, Marquez and company, it was a spirited attritional war that only one of the judges could split after 12 rounds. Pat Russell scored it 116-112 to Rocha, while the other two officials, Lou Moret and Fernando Villareal, had it 114-114 apiece, forcing a majority draw.
“It was super competitive, my hats off to Raul and his team, they did a good job,” said Alexis Rocha. “I personally felt like I could’ve done more. I was landing the harder shots. He was landing the more pitter-patter shots. I was never hurt in the rounds or anything like that. I thought I pulled it off, probably like 7-5.”
Even though he felt like he’d done enough, Rocha agreed that there were times he could’ve done a little more to catch the eyes of two of the trinity of judges and force home a decision.
“[I could] land more punches, land more hard shots. He would flurry a little bit but I felt like I landed the harder shots. I wanted to take him into deep water, I know he hasn’t been tested like that. I respect this guy, it was 12 rounds f*****g all-out war.”
Rocha added that he has been working on making further adjustments after losing brutally to Giovani Santillan. The two wins since that defeat gave him confidence, but this was a solid win against a heavy-handed, undefeated foe.
“I’m growing as a fighter still, every single fight. We’ll run this sh*t back, no doubt about it. I feel like it’ll be different the second time around. We’ll run it back. Absolutely 100 per cent next.”
Opponent Raul Curiel also seemed pleased with his efforts, taking time to shout out his team, Rocha’s team, the fans and seemingly anyone he’d ever met.
“I promised a war and we got a war for the people. It was a tremendous fight. I’m really happy with my job. Let’s do this again. He’s a good boxer, a good southpaw. It was a fun fight, a wild fight, I respect Alexis. Let’s run it back.”
