Trini Ochoa is a man of many skills in and out of the ring.

He is also very much a homebody, in each of those regards.

“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke or party, nothing like that,” Ochoa told The Ring. “I like to play video games, I collect Magic cards. I’m just a big nerd outside of the ring. Whatever I feel like doing, I just do it. Ever since I could remember, I was into that.”

Occupation-wise, Ochoa (19-0, 8 KOs) is all the way into his boxing career.

He’s equally proud of his growing role as the face of his regional boxing scene. The unbeaten junior welterweight is once again set to headline in his home region, as he faces Hylon Williams Jr. (16-5-1, 3 KOs) this Saturday at Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, less than 30 minutes from his hometown of Mesa, Arizona.

Their scheduled ten-round regional title fight headlines ‘Iron Boy 76’, an ongoing series presented by local outfit Iron Boy Promotions. Saturday’s bout will mark Ochoa’s eighteenth career appearance at the intimate venue.

“My fans keep showing up, they keep growing deep,” Ochoa said of his decision to remain local. “I feel like I owe it to them to keep showing out and bringing them entertaining fights as my gratitude and love for this city.

“The seating is great at this venue, and of course it’s easy for my fans to drive to. I love fighting in that place because it gets really loud in there. It’s like a party, everyone in the crowd is drinking, cheering and having a good time.”

In other words, the opposite of the life he leads away from the ring.

Boxing has come relatively easy to Ochoa even if not his first love. Still, it’s something that has been part of nearly his entire life, as has the ability to draw.

“My dad is a tattoo artist, so it’s always in my blood,” stated Ochoa. “I’ve done a few tattoos for my friends. It’s something I could get into during my chill time when I’m not in training camp. I like drawing anime—like I said, I’m a nerd.”

In the ring, Ochoa is a prospect to watch. The past year was a productive one for the 26-year-old, who went 3-0 and graduated to ten-round bouts.

The majority of his wins have been one-sided affairs, but that changed in his most recent outing. Ochoa went all ten rounds for the second straight bout, this time in a hard-fought, unanimous decision victory over Jose Jacobo (15-1 at the time) to claim the WBC USA 140-pound belt last November at Celebrity Theater.

“It was a good experience, it feels better when you actually have to fight for it,” admitted Ochoa. “Those other wins I earned because I worked harder than my opponents and was able to make it look easy.

“This one was closer than I thought it would be, but my opponent didn’t really engage. He fought off the back foot and running a bit towards the end. I just had to keep doing my thing, applying pressure.”

The goal is to avoid a repeat on Saturday.

Williams is a pure boxer who generally knows how to go rounds. He hasn’t gone many of them in the past eight years, however. His last sanctioned fight was in 2018, when he suffered his lone knockout defeat against then unbeaten Sanjarbek Rakhmanov.

The Houston-bred former amateur standout resurfaced last year on the Team Combat League circuit, which are a series of one-round fights.

Ochoa’s clear goal on Saturday is to prove the massive difference between that world and life as a full-time fighter on the rise.

“He’s been active doing those little one-round fights, so I don’t sleep on him,” noted Ochoa. “I don’t think he’ll be ready for what I’m bringing, though. I’m determined to get the stoppage.”

With a win, the objective for the balance of 2025 is to position himself for a shot at a major title sometime next year. His win in December earned a top 40 ranking in the WBC. Another three-win campaign this year could see him creep much closer to contender status.

It would also put him closer to the area’s biggest current star, by far.

David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) cut his teeth at Celebrity Theater on the way up. In fact, it housed his first two fights in the U.S. once he was old enough to fight on this side of the border after his first seven bouts in Mexico.

He went on to twice claim the WBC super middleweight title and is The Ring’s No. 2 light heavyweight contender. Benavidez is now on the verge of challenging for The Ring and undisputed light heavyweight championship, either next or one fight after.

“It’s exciting. We’ve known David since before he was pro,” revealed Ochoa. “We trained with him and watched him come up and become what he is today. I’m just happy for him. He always knew this would happen for him. It was just a matter of time and it’s so exciting to see him thrive.”

Benavidez reached that stage by expanding his horizons and eventually growing into the fighter willing to take on all comers, regardless of stakes.

Ochoa can easily envision a day where he’s fighting in Las Vegas, or wherever the sport may take him.

For now, though, he’s happy to have his loyal locals along for the ride as he rises through the ranks.

“The next big opportunity we get, I’m ready for it,” insists Ochoa. “We want to take our career to the next level, no matter who the opponent, whether Glendale [Desert Diamond Arena] or right here at Footprint [Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns].

“I’m from here, born and raised. I’m a proud Mexican as well, I represent my city and my Mexican culture as well.”