By Ricardo Lezama 
Following the unexpected hospitalization of Vergil Ortiz Jr., a new headline event is set for this Saturday, March 19, 2022 to replace his bout with undefeated UK welterweight Michael McKinson. The co-main event is now the headliner: Blair Cobbs vs Alexis Rocha is set to be a fan-friendly replacement.
Alexis ‘Lex’ Rocha, a promising welterweight contender, from Santa Ana, California, is a technically sound southpaw who has sparred with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Josh Taylor. Over the past few fights, one can tell that the intricacies of sparring with greats has developed Rocha as a fighter. This leads most fans to favor Rocha against Cobbs’ wild, but dangerous, style, as a poll from Boxing enthusiast @SpicyMami_ shows:
Blair Cobbs is no slouch. Cobbs is trained by the great Freddy Roach and has serious knockout power. However, Cobbs and Rocha share opponents with both receiving victories over them. Cobbs – to his credit – was able to knockout a difficult Brad Solomon whose styling gave Rocha’s more aggressive counter-punching style problems.
Still, given Rocha’s constant activity, we do feel that at some level the momentum is on the side of the comparatively younger fighter. He’s a tough contender that may be underestimated. Rumors abound that this fight has been brewing since November. Rocha alleged that the fight was rejected by the Blair Cobbs camp.
Rocha is a rising prospect whose sole defeat is to a fleet footed boxer stylist in a competitive fight. Since his loss to Rasheed ‘Speedy’ Ellis, Rocha has pushed forward and grabbed some intense knockouts against other top level contenders. A rematch with Ellis should Rocha get past Cobbs is also an interesting fight.
Stylistic Match-Up
Cobbs throws wild shots at times. He has been dropped in the past. His power is obvious. Cobbs is also quite the talker as can be seen on the video interview from Golden Boy’s promotional materials.
For his part, Rocha is regarded as technically sound. The high-guard defense means that he will not be caught by basic combinations. His only weakness is with boxers that have a lot of lateral movement. Cobbs presents none of this boxing styling. Perhaps, he could get caught with something wild, but then his conditioning is second to none.
