Conah Walker Draws Alexis Rocha in WBA Welterweight Eliminator
Walker and Rocha will meet December 5 in Wolverhampton with a WBA welterweight title shot on the line.
Matchroom has announced that Conah Walker will face Alexis Rocha in a WBA welterweight eliminator on December 5 at The Halls in Wolverhampton, England. The fight will stream live on DAZN worldwide.
Walker, ranked No. 3 by the WBA, has won five straight fights with four coming by stoppage. His most recent outing was a tenth-round stoppage of Sam Eggington in May. Before that, he picked up wins over Pat McCormack, Liam Taylor, Harry Scarff and Lewis Ritson. Walker trains under Jamie Moore and will have home crowd advantage in Wolverhampton.
"I want to do a right job on Rocha," Walker said. He added that the Wolverhampton crowd is full of friends and family who give him an extra edge.
Rocha, an American southpaw, comes in riding unanimous decision wins over former world champions Joseph Diaz in March and Jose Ramirez in September. When asked about Walker, Rocha said he had only watched some video but called him a strong fighter who likes to come forward.
The winner positions themselves for a shot at the WBA welterweight title. With the welterweight division heating up between the Teofimo Lopez and Jack Catterall situation, this eliminator could prove pivotal for whoever comes out on top.
This is a real fight. Conah Walker has been tearing through the domestic scene, and Alexis Rocha just beat two former world champions back to back. Neither guy is a household name yet, but that is what makes this matchup interesting. Both are trying to break through, and somebody's momentum is getting stopped on December 5.
I like Walker's physicality and pressure, but Rocha's southpaw style and the fact that he just outpointed Jose Ramirez over 12 rounds tells you his boxing IQ is legit. This is a pick-em fight, and I lean slightly toward Rocha on technical ability, especially if he can keep Walker at range with the jab.
The welterweight division is stacked right now. Whoever wins this eliminator is walking into a title picture that includes Teofimo Lopez, Jack Catterall and several other dangerous names. December 5 in Wolverhampton might not get the headlines, but it matters.
