ALL-OUT WAR! FIGHT OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE ENDS IN MAJORITY DRAW BETWEEN ALEXIS ROCHA AND RAUL CURIEL

In a Fight of the Year candidate that delivered on its promise to give fans 12 rounds of all-out war, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) and knockout artist and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar” Curiel (15-0-1, 13 KOs) closed out Golden Boy’s 2024 with a bang. The toe-to-toe matchup ended in a majority draw, with judges’ scores of 114-114, 114-114, and 116-112 for Rocha. The firefight took place live from Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif., and was broadcast worldwide on DAZN. “I want to run this fight back again and then hopefully fight for a world title,” said Rocha. “I know I did enough to win. The rounds were very close; unfortunately, tonight didn’t go my way. I want the rematch — it was a fun fight, and I want to do it again.” “I definitely felt like I had done what I had to do to win the fight,” said Curiel. “I’m sure he would say the same. At the end of the day, the fans are the best judges, and based on the crowd’s reactions, they won tonight. I hope we can run it back again next year. For now, I want to enjoy the holidays with my family.” In the co-main event, still undefeated world title contender Charles “Bad News” Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) continued his knockout streak with a victory over the previously undefeated and tough Gerardo Vergara (20-1, 13 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Scheduled for 10 rounds of super welterweight action, Conwell scored a stoppage at 2:51 of the seventh round after landing a debilitating array of combinations. U.S. Olympic Medalist and former unified world champion Marlen Esparza (15-2, 1 KOs) proved that she still has much to give in the sport with a unanimous decision victory against four-time World Champion Arely “Ametralladora” Mucino (32-5-2, 11 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico. The 10-round super flyweight went the distance, with the judges scoring the fight 98-92, 98-92 and 97-93. Opening the DAZN broadcast, Victor “El Tornado” Morales (20-0-1, 10 KOs) of Vancouver, Canada and Ensenada, Mexico’s Jose Ortiz (16-3-1, 6 KOs) battled it out in a scheduled 10-round super featherweight match. The fight was stopped by the doctor in the first second of the eighth round due to a cut sustained from a punch in the second round that impacted Ortiz’ vision, awarding the TKO victory to Morales.  On the Golden Boy Fight Night: Rocha vs. Curiel Prelims streamed live on the Golden Boy YouTube Channel, Tijuana, Mexico’s Jorge “El Niño De Oro” Chavez (13-0, 8 KOs) improved his record in a tough battle against Ruben Casero (12-4, 4 KOs) of Colonia, Uruguay. The eight-round super bantamweight fight featured an action-packed, back and forth, Chavez scoring two knockdowns in round one and Casero rallying back to life. All three judges scored the fight 80-70 in favor of Chavez. Also on the prelims, Ventura, California’s Ricardo Ruvalcaba (13-0-1, 10 KOs) and San Diego’s Jabin Chollet (10-2, 8 KOs) went the distance in a toe-to-toe, eight-round welterweight match. Ruvalcaba was successful, securing the unanimous decision win with judges scores of 80-72, 79-73, and 80-72. Sonora, Mexico’s Gael “El Terror” Cabrera (6-0, 4 KOs) dazzled fight fans with a successful bid against former world champion challenger of General Santos City, Philippines, Garen Diagan (10-6, 5 KOs). Scheduled for six rounds of bantamweight action, Diagan hit the canvas in the second round with a powerful right hand from Cabrera and was unable to recover. Cabrera took home the stoppage victory at 2:59. In an upset victory, Uhlices Avelino-Reyes (3-1, 2 KO) of Omaha, Nebraska defeated Moreno Valley’s Joshua “El Americano” Garcia (9-1, 4 KOs). Scheduled as a six-round lightweight fight, Garcia tasted the canvas three times; once in the first round and twice in the second, the corner ultimately stopping the fight at 2:04 in the second. In a four-round middleweight fight, top prospect Fabian Guzman (6-0,6 KOs) of Orange continued his knockout streak against Travis Floyd (4-12-2, 1 KO) of Douglasville, Georgia. Guzman’s power was too much for Floyd, with the fight making it only to 2:28 of the second round. Opening fight night, Amarillo, Texas’ Javier Meza (1-0, 1 KO) made a knockout debut splash in the successful defeat against Findley, Ohio’s David Music (0-2). Scheduled as a four-round welterweight bout, Meza secured the stoppage at 2:58 in the first round.