Canadian cruiserweight contender Ryan Rozicki, 21-1-1 (20 KOs) has issued a warning to Chris Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs) ahead of their June 6 showdown in Bournemouth, England.
The 10-round bout will headline Zuffa Boxing’s first event in the United Kingdom, which will be held in the British fighter’s hometown.
Billam-Smith, during recent media promotion in England, has promised not to run like previous Rozicki opponent, Alberto Peralta.
“I feel like this is a big moment for my fans, promotion and team,” Rozicki said. “I’m grateful for that but, for me, personally, it’s just another fight. Chris said he’s not going to run like Peralta did. I’m hoping he keeps his word, but he probably won’t because it sounds too good to be true. Either way, he’s in for the toughest night of his life. Fighting, not boxing, is who I am and what I’m all about!”
Three Lions Promotions managing director Daniel Otter sincerely believes Rozicki’s pressure, power, and old-school mentality will be the deciding factors.
“Being around Sky Sports’ promotional work for a week,” Otter added, “you could see how dialed-in Ryan was from the start. The pressure, the cameras, the attention – none of that bothered Ryan for a second.
“I think Billam-Smith and his coach, Shane McGuigan, believe they have this all figured out. They don’t! Ryan brings a kind of pressure you cannot prepare for until you are locked in the ring with him. They can talk about standing and fighting all they want, but once Ryan starts walking Billam-Smith down, we’ll see how long that lasts. You can only move for so long. As the great Joe Louis famously said, ‘You can run but you can’t hide.”
“Mark my words,” Otter predicted, “on June 6 the boxing world is going to discover one of boxing’s best kept secrets, Ryan Rozicki.”
