Rocky mainly fought in the Seattle, Washington area, then in various New Jersey communities in his early pre-title days. He had two cracks at the WBA featherweight title, both against Eusebio Pedroza, one in 1980 and the other in 1983. Both times, however, he would come up short by close decisions. His only other loss at that time was between those two fights - an August 1981 loss by TKO 2 to Juan LaPorte. Then, in February 1984, Lockridge needed just over one minute - and exactly one punch - to dismantle WBA junior lightweight champion Roger Mayweather and finally win a title. Lockridge defended his title twice, with TKO's of Tae Jin Moon and Kamel Bou Ali, before going to Puerto Rico in May 1985 and fighting a tough 15 rounds with former two-time champion and hometown hero Wilfredo Gómez. It was Gómez, though, who won the decision, and with it the title. Lockridge continued to fight, though, losing a 12-round majority nod to Julio César Chávez in 1986 for Chavez' WBC 130-lb. title
