April 25 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts and Entertainment Source: From Vacaville to L.A., Aliyah Orozco makes headlines as boxing journalist

When Aliyah Orozco was performing dance routines for her family in the living room, she always knew she wanted to be on TV. But it would turn out to be a different cherished family memory that influenced her career.

Growing up, Orozco would go to parties at her aunts’ house and hear all her uncles in the garage screaming and celebrating boxing, notably the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

“I remember seeing at a young age that boxing really brings people together,” recalls Orozco. “There’s an energy there that’s unlike any sport.”

Despite her love for the sport, Orozco never thought she would be a boxing journalist. “That’s never something I would envision for my life,” she says.

“Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be in the entertainment industry,” said Orozco. “I always had a passion for storytelling, for people, for entertaining.”

Orozco recalls her parents gently warning her, “There’s not too many people who come from Vacaville who get to be on TV like you want to.” Not knowing how or when, Orozco just knew that at some point she was going to make it happen.

She decided to get closer to her dream by moving to L.A. where she studied Business Administration at Azusa Pacific University. Suffering through the initial discomfort and loneliness of the move, Orozco eventually decided to step out of her comfort zone.

As she pursued internships, kept networking and hired a publicist, Orosco still didn’t know what she was going to be. She kept going to audition after audition until one day she got a callback from Latina Alternative Network.

“I didn’t realize Vacaville would be the reason I booked the show,” said Orozco, who is still a host for “Get it Girl,” a women empowerment show. When she showed up on set after receiving the offer, the crew celebrated her arrival, saying, “We’ve got Vacaville in the house.”

It turns out that Orozco’s small-town upbringing had brought a fresh perspective to the pool of applicants, ultimately helping her stand out.

A full-circle moment occurred when Orozco was invited to a magazine cover launch for Oscar De La Hoya. As she was there doing interviews, Orozco was approached by someone who praised her reporting skills and mentioned a possible position with his friend’s company.

Seven months later, in March 2023, she received an email asking if she could cover the Ryan Davis vs. Gervonta Davis fight in Beverly Hills. The only catch was the fight was the next day.

“I became a boxing reporter overnight,” said Orozco. At 10 a.m. that day, Orozco was told this was her audition. Her videos had to go viral if she wanted to continue with the channel.

Having heard that Davis was more of a reserved, chill personality, Orozco decided to approach the interview just by being herself. The interview ended up being a huge success, with headlines for it reading, “Gervonta Davis is all Smiles Like Never Before with Aliyah Orozco.”

“My name just started blowing up after that,” said Orozco. “As soon as I stepped into the boxing world I fell in love with it. I knew I was not going to leave, I knew I wanted to pursue it.”

Now, just a year in, Orozco has booked a broadcasting job with Overtime. But her deep-dive into the boxing world remains a constant pursuit. Despite her familiarity as a boxing fan growing up, Orozco had to learn the dense history of the sport, diving into the many weight divisions, promoters and sanctioning bodies.

“I was going to either sink or swim and I decided to swim,” said Orozco. In fact, she is planning to get into the ring and don her own gloves as part of her immersive education.

Orozco’s success in the field can be attributed to more than just her work ethic and drive to do well. Above all, she operates from a place of respecting and loving everybody the same.

“Where you grow up really does dictate a lot,” said Orozco, crediting the people there as the primary mentors in her life. “Vacaville made me who I am and taught me how to be kind to people and that’s taken me really far.”

Orozco said that her community helped form a set of beliefs and morals that continue to shape her outlook and interactions. Especially in a field dependent on communicating with others, Orozco’s primary goal is to make people feel comfortable.

“I know I did good when I see that smile,” said Orozco, adding that her interview style is always about adapting for the other person. “I try to pick up on the energy and try to change directions when I don’t see the vibes connecting.”

While she already has numerous high-profile interviews under her belt, Orozco has her sights set on talking to Mike Tyson one day.

Going back to her roots in dancing and performing, Orozco also hopes to someday interview Selena Gomez. “She was my role model and still is to this day,” said Orozco, voicing her own hope of becoming a role model to young kids.

“I want to inspire people and be a breath of fresh air for people,” said Orozco. “I never want to go into any interview or event where my heart is thinking that it’s better than anyone. I want to be remembered by the way I loved people.”