Alexis Rocha Wants Organizations to Fund ‘The Fights That Fans Want to See’

Alexis Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) is calling for organizations to pay fighters better to make bigger fights.

The southpaw from California is fresh off a recent fight against Raul Curiel, which ended in a draw. Meanwhile, he has always been a vocal advocate for better pay for boxers. In fact, he believes that if organizations, including the rumored TKO Boxing League, can find the funds to pay fighters more, they could pave the way for some of the biggest fights in boxing history.

Rocha was recently a guest on The Last Round Boxing Podcast. In conversation, he was asked about his thoughts on what the rumored TKO Boxing League could do for the sport of boxing if created. Notably, TKO Holdings, the company that owns the UFC and WWE, is planning to partner with Turki Alalshikh to start a new boxing league. Moreover, TKO and Dana White will be managing partners for this new league.

“I think that could potentially be really big for boxing. Especially to put that much money behind it, to get the bigger names and pay these fighters the biggest money fights you want. A lot of fighters, you know, unfortunately, price yourself out because it’s a prize fighting sport,” he said. “If you get more money behind the events, the Riyadh Season, if they put more money for the fighters. It’s boxing man; it has to make sense at the end of the day as well.”

He mentioned that at levels closer to the elite rounds, fighters aren’t afraid to face each other inside the ring. But it boils down to if they are decently compensated for the fight. Rocha did not mince words while saying that many promotions end up paying fighters “chump change.”

“If you can get an organization like that, where you can fund this and they get a fighter from Golden Boy and a fighter from Top Rank, or wherever it may be, put them on the same card together to fight each other to make the best fights possible. Then that’s going to be great for boxing because those are the fights that the fans want to see,” he said.

“It’s Going To Be Different For Sure”

He was further asked if the league would in any way negatively impact boxing. Many members of the combat sports community had previously expressed their concerns about organizations like UFC monopolizing the sport. “It’s going to be different for sure because UFC runs a certain type of way. Where all these fighters fight for one belt,” he said. “I don’t know how it would affect the sanctioning bodies and how they would fight.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

See author's posts