Cruiserweight contender Ryan Rozicki has signed a multi-fight contract with Zuffa Boxing, the promoter announced Thursday.
Zuffa also indicated it would have more details about Rozicki’s promotional debut in the coming weeks.
Rozicki, 21-1-1 (20 KOs), a 33-year-old from Sydney Forks, Nova Scotia, Canada, is a heavy-handed puncher who scored knockouts in his first 13 fights after turning pro in 2016.
He then lost a decision to heavyweight Oscar Rivas in 2021 (in a fight in which he was outweighed by 20 pounds), but Rozicki is unbeaten in his past nine fights, including most recently when he traveled to Australia to stop Gerardo Mellado inside two rounds in March.
“I’m excited for this next chapter and the opportunity to be part of what Zuffa is building,” Rozicki said. “My team has done an incredible job getting me to this point and making sure everything is in place for me to succeed at the highest level. This is a big platform, and I’m ready to get to work and make a statement.”
Rozicki ranks No. 1 among cruisers in the WBC, but injuries and jockeying at the top of the sanctioning body’s divisional hierarchy have iced him out of title opportunities over the past two years. (Noel Mikaelyan is the current titleholder, while Michael Cieslak is an interim titlist.) Rozicki also checks in at No. 11 in the IBF rankings.
Zuffa has largely ignored the sanctioning body titles, choosing to issue its own belts, and Rozicki hops into a situation with the promoter in which he could contend for a title right away. Cruiserweight is arguably the upstart promotion's most robust division, including promotional champion Jai Opetaia, former world titleholder Chris Billam-Smith and contender Brandon Glanton.
Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.
