ROCHA VS. CURIEL FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 13 Dec 2024
EVENT SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, DEC.14 LIVE FROM TOYOTA ARENA AND EXCLUSIVELY BROADCAST ON DAZN
ONTARIO, Calif. (Dec. 12, 2024) – As Golden Boy closes out the year with a stacked fight night on Saturday, Dec. 14, a press conference was held today in Ontario, Calif., to promote the anticipated 12-round clash between two world title contenders: NABO Welterweight Titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) and undefeated knockout artist and NABF Welterweight Titleholder Raul “El Cugar” Curiel (15-0, 13 KOs). Doors to the Toyota Arena open at 1 p.m. PT, the Golden Boy Fight Night: Rocha vs. Curiel Prelims livestream begins at 1:30 p.m. PT, and the DAZN broadcast will kick off at 5 p.m. PT.
Tickets for Rocha vs. Curiel are on sale and are priced at $100, $75, $50, and $25, not including applicable service charges. A limited number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available for purchase, which include exclusive merchandise and fight-night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-Arena.com, GoldenBoy.com, or the Toyota Arena box office, Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
In the co-main event, the highly ranked, undefeated world title contender Charles “Bad News” Conwell (20-0, 15 KOs) will return to the ring in a 10-round super welterweight fight against Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Gerardo Vergara (20-0, 13 KOs). In a bid for the vacant WBA Continental North America Super Flyweight Title, John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) will seek redemption against Sugar Land, Texas’ undefeated Ephraim Bui (10-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-round super flyweight fight. In a crossroads bout, U.S. Olympic medalist and former unified world champion Marlen Esparza (14-2, 1 KO) will face former four-time world champion Arely “Ametralladora” Muciño (32-4-2, 11 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico, in a 10-round super flyweight contest. Opening the DAZN broadcast with a 10-round super featherweight fight, Victor “El Tornado” Morales (19-0-1, 9 KOs) of Vancouver, Canada, will meet Ensenada, Mexico’s Jose Ortiz (16-2-1, 6 KOs).
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 (12-0, 8 KOs) will participate in an eight-round super bantamweight fight against Ruben Casero (12-3, 4 KOs) of Colonia, Uruguay. Ventura, Calif.’s Ricardo Ruvalcaba (12-0-1, 10 KOs) will compete in an eight-round super lightweight contest against San Diego’s Jabin Chollet (10-1, 8 KOs). In a six-round super bantamweight fight, Sonora, Mexico’s Gael “El Terror” Cabrera (5-0, 3 KOs) will face former world title challenger Garen Diagan (10-5, 5 KOs) of General Santos City, Philippines.
Also on the prelims, Moreno Valley’s Joshua “El Americano” Garcia (9-0, 4 KOs) will fight Uhlices Avelino-Reyes (2-1, 1 KO) of Omaha, Neb., in a six-round super featherweight match. Fabian Guzman (5-0, 5 KOs) of Orange, Calif., will compete in a four-round middleweight fight against Travis Floyd (4-11-2, 1 KO) of Douglasville, Georgia. In the opening bout of the night, Amarillo, Texas’ Javier Meza will make his professional debut against Findlay, Ohio’s David Music (0-1) in a four-round super lightweight contest.
HERE IS WHAT SOME OF TODAY'S PARTICIPANTS HAD TO SAY:
ALEXIS "LEX" ROCHA, NABO WELTWELTERWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER:
"First off, I want to thank God. I want to thank all of Golden Boy Promotions. Want to thank my team to the right of me. Appreciate you guys for everything you guys have ever done. Yeah, I got a good opponent coming in front of me, undefeated. He has a winning streak, but every streak, unfortunately comes to an end. I've trained very hard for this fight. I've cut no corners. I'm mentally, physically, in the best shape possible. This is my moment, and I'm gonna go and take it. This is gonna be a war, December 14, and I'm ready to make a statement."
RAUL "EL CUGAR" CURIEL, NABF WELTERWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER:
"Hello everyone. First of all, I want to thank God for this opportunity. This is a dream come true. To be able to see my face in this beautiful poster is surreal."
"I've trained very hard for this fight. I know this fight can open all the doors for a world title shot, and that's my dream. This fight is for Mexico, it is for all my people who have my back and support me. I know I'm going win. This camp was a tremendous one, and I am in the best shape of my career."
CHARLES CONWELL, SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:
"It feels good to be back. This is my third fight this year. I'm excited man. I have trained real hard for this fight. I want to thank Golden Boy, the whole team, for putting this together and letting me be the co-main event. I'm looking to steal the show and stay tuned for exciting fight. Let's get it!"
BERNARD HOPKINS, HALL OF FAMER AND GOLDEN BOY PARTNER:
"As we go into the next year, everyone here to my right and to my left, have an opportunity to go into the new year 2025 with the mindset of being the next main event, or the next star in boxing, or becoming a bigger star in 2025. These are the incentives. Nothing is guaranteed."
ERIC GOMEZ, PRESIDENT OF GOLDEN BOY:
"We did 22 shows this year. This will be our 23rd. This is the last show for the year, and it has been an incredible year. We had some big events, a lot of world title fights, and many great prospects who fought and are continuing to develop. But I truly believe we saved the best for last, and this main event is going to be fantastic, style-wise."
"What matters is that both Rocha and Curiel are here. For Golden Boy, it's a little bittersweet because we've watched these two guys grow up in front of our eyes. But as everyone knows, boxing is an individual sport. It's not a team sport. And sometimes, there’s someone in your way—someone from the same stable, maybe even the same gym or the same promoter. These two guys know the significance of this fight, and I want to commend both of them for accepting it and for giving the fans what they want to see: a great night of boxing."
###
Rocha vs. Curiel is a 12-round welterweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event will be available worldwide to all subscribers on DAZN, both live and on demand.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #RochaCuriel
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Deniega to fight Oka in Japan
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 02 Jan 2026Illness forces Paddy Donovan to withdraw from IBF Welterweight World Eliminator January 16 versus Liam Paro in Australia
Fri, 02 Jan 2026Canadian World Cruiserweight Contender Ryan Rozicki returning to ring March 7th
Thu, 01 Jan 2026Lover Boy on hot streak
By Joaquin Henson, Wed, 31 Dec 2025Silvano fights Gurung on January 13 in Hong Kong
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 31 Dec 2025GM Laylo faces tough competition in Caloocan rapid chess
By Marlon Bernardino, Wed, 31 Dec 2025GOLDEN BOY DELIVERS A LOADED UNDERCARD OF STAR PROSPECTS FOR ROCHA VS. CURIEL II
Wed, 31 Dec 2025Arca wins silver in Eastern Asian Juniors Chess Championships 2025
By Marlon Bernardino, Wed, 31 Dec 2025Donaire awaits WBA order
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 30 Dec 2025Anthony Joshua injured in car crash in Nigeria
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Tue, 30 Dec 2025Sampson Boxing Signs Red Hot Middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr to Exclusive Promotional Contract
Tue, 30 Dec 2025Undefeated Carl Jammes Martin Plots Next Move as New Year Unfolds
Mon, 29 Dec 2025Alvin Gayeta Roma leads Mansa Engineering Consultancy Team B to rule New York Chess Academy Team Tournament; pockets P100,000
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 29 Dec 2025Llover, Casimero stop foes in Japan
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 28 Dec 2025Organizing Committee Meets for Dr. Eugene Torre Rapid Chess Tournament Honoring FIL-CHI’s Golden Anniversary
Sun, 28 Dec 2025