Welterweight Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KOs) of Philadelphia will have his toughest test to date as he takes on Santa Ana, California’s Alexis “Lex” Rocha (18-1, 12 KOs) this Saturday night March 19th in the co-main event for Vergil Ortiz, Jr. vs. Michael McKinson at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in Downtown Los Angeles live on DAZN. We caught up with Cobbs as he discussed his upcoming fight with Rocha.
“This is the main attraction, Blair the Flair vs. a top contender. Let’s see what happens it’s going to be exciting,” Blair Cobbs told Fightnews.com “He is a tough contender and won’t give up. He will try to give me as much resistance as possible. He might want to pressure. I have been against multiple guys; Blair the Flair is used to being in the fire. Let’s see what happens when he is in the fire. Can Alexis handle it?”
Cobbs has been preparing at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California as he gets ready for Rocha.
“Training at Wild Card gym and I could not be more prepared for such a fight. There is a lot going on at Wild Card sparring the top contenders. It’s too hard but I thrive in that fire,” Cobbs on training at the Wild Card. “I have been going through the uncomfortable situations. I am learning on the job. I must learn as I go and still learning how to prevail,” Cobbs added.
Coming off an impressive stoppage over Brad Solomon, Cobbs scored a fifth round TKO in his last fight, this past June.
“This fight prepared me well. I am becoming a seasoned fighter, nobody expected me to look this good especially after a year layoff,” Cobbs said about his last fight.
The undefeated Cobbs must get passed the hard-hitting Alexis Rocha to begin taking on the bigger names as Rocha is currently ranked 10th by the IBF, his only defeat comes at the hands of Rashidi Ellis. Rocha, bounced back with a stoppage over previously undefeated Jeovanis Barraza.
“I watched tape on that fight with Ellis and other fights. He is having a hard time adjusting, changing, boxing the same way. It looks like he is comfortable and dealing with Blair the Flair is uncomfortable,” Cobbs on Rocha.
Having a very charismatic and energetic personality, Blair Cobbs brings lots of enthusiasm to the ring and the sport, currently rated in the top 20. Cobbs looks to breakthrough in the stacked welterweight division which has many young undefeated fighters and the champions WBC/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., WBA champion Yordanis Ugas, and WBO champion Terence Crawford.
“Blair the Flair is a top contender. I believe I’m great, not just good, great. That’s where I am going. I feel I am very close to the big names. I am very close and all it takes is one opportunity. There are many fighters that come up the rankings easy, I come up the hard way. Blair the Flair is tougher than all the other fighters because I am not afraid to sign the contract, put that O on the line, and other fighters want to protect that O. I’m ready to go,” Cobbs said. “They got PBC playing with the belts. You can’t stop star status; you can’t stop a mega star from being what he is,”
The most suitable fights for Cobbs currently include undefeated fighters Connor Benn, Jarron Ennis, Rashidi Ellis, or even this Saturday nights main event winner between Vergil Ortiz and Michael McKinson. Cobbs also has interest in a fight with former world champion Mikey Garcia.
“One of the biggest challenges is fighting the big fights, Mikey Garcia should be the next big fight, after that Connor Benn, Adrien Broner are big attractions, and move up the latter to then fight Terence Crawford,” Cobbs on his potential plans. “After it’s all said and done, we can move on to Canelo Alvarez. I don’t care about belts; I care about putting mega attractions and becoming a million-dollar attraction. That’s what it’s all about,”
There is no question that Cobbs has the star potential, but the road lies ahead. A victory here gets him closer the big fights he covets. This Saturday night, Blair “the Flair” Cobbs begins his 2022 campaign as he looks to steal the show and make a statement.
“I come in great. I will have a lot of fun; you never know what happens in that ring. It’s going to be fun, and I will keep it exciting. Woo!”
Follow Miguel on Twitter @MigMaravilla