Boxing
Alexis Rocha vs. Raul Curiel II: Who has the edge heading into their rematch?
Rocha vs Curiel II: Subscribe to watch - Friday
Twelve rounds of war ending in a majority draw left Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel with an unsavory taste of unfinished business following their December 2024 fight.
Just over a year later, Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) and Curiel (16-0-1, 14 KOs) will have their highly-anticipated rematch Friday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, and live on DAZN, to settle their rivalry.
The volume-punching welterweights took it to each other in their initial all-action bout, which judges scored 116-112 for Rocha, and 114-114 twice for the draw.
After the Rocha fight, Curiel did produce a fourth-round knockout of Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez last June. Rocha did not fight in 2025.
With the expectations soaring toward this high-stakes sequel, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge entering Rocha-Curiel II.
Boxing Styles
At their best, Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel are volume punchers.
Their December 2024 bout had the welterweights exchanging flurries at a breakneck pace within a incessant fighting flow. So, what’s the push between this pair of high-output fighters?
Well, perhaps former world champion and DAZN’s Sergio Mora said it best: “There’s more dimensions to Alexis Rocha.”
With superior footwork and hand speed, the southpaw Rocha is able to get to his spots quicker, can work the distance on the back foot and can find a consistent home with the left hand off a pesky jab.
Edge: Rocha
Power
In addition for their penchant of being volume punchers, Rocha and Curiel possess potent power, too — especially the latter.
Curiel counts 14 of his 16 wins by knockout for a KO ratio of nearly 88 percent.
He particularly ends his combinations with stinging impact, taking this category.
Edge: Curiel
Mental Warfare
Despite being the younger fighter, Rocha touts more experience and subsequent ring savvy than the older Curiel.
This was evident in their first fight when Rocha’s ring generalship was on display.
With his aforementioned attributes of hand speed and nimble footwork, Rocha can take confidence in knowing he can beat Curiel to the punch in their rematch.
That gives him the slight edge when it comes to mental warfare entering Round 13.
Edge: Rocha
Who has the edge in Rocha vs. Curiel 2?
Has either fighter learned enough from their all-out war more than a year ago to make the necessary adjustments in this rematch? Or are Rocha and Curiel destined to segue from Round 12 to Round 24 with another fire fight that goes the distance? DAZN News has Rocha with a 2-1 edge entering this sequel. Whether that pans out, it is safe to expect another thriller.
