Alexis Rocha has lofty goals of conquering the world in 2023 and beyond.

But not before making one more pit stop back home.

Rocha headlines the first U.S.-based DAZN show of the year, facing Ghana’s George Ashie (33-5-1, 25KOs) this Saturday at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. It is his fifth straight appearance within driving distance of the Santa Ana community he proudly represents, coming at a time when he is on the cusp of title contention.

“It fees amazing to be fighting near home once again,” Rocha told BoxingScene.com. “We keep talking about eventually taking this global but there’s still nothing like fighting in front of all my fans who are winning to drive all over to see me.”

Rocha (21-1, 13KOs) has seen his name frequently mentioned as a potential future challenger for three-division and reigning, unbeaten WBO welterweight titlist Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (39-0, 30KOs). The 25-year-old has punched his way into that position with a current five-fight win streak, including four in a row in Southern California.

The biggest came in a ninth-round knockout of unbeaten Blair Cobbs last March 19 at the Galen Center on USC campus in Los Angeles. The bout was elevated to main event at the last minute, with Rocha rising to the occasion in front of his growing fan base.

Two more victories have been added to his resume, including a dominant ten-round, unanimous decision last October in San Diego, California. The expectation is to challenge for a welterweight title at some point, no matter the location.

For now, there’s no place like home for the streaking contender—to a point, of course.

“So, the cell phone will get turned off before the weigh-in,” noted Rocha. “It’s just tunnel vision from there.”  

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox