On June 6 at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, Ryan Rozicki vs Chris Billam-Smith headlines a Zuffa Boxing 07 fight card, live on Paramount+ for fight fans in the US, and Sky Sports for those in the UK. The main event will take place in the cruiserweight division. Via a Three Lions Promotions press release, Rozicki has delivered a warning to Billam-Smith.
Zuffa Boxing 07: Rozicki and Billam-Smith set for cruiserweight showdown
Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KOs) vs Rozicki (21-1-1, 20 KOs) will clash in a 10-round bout that will headline Zuffa Boxing’s first fight card in the United Kingdom.
The Canadian has been plagued by injury in recent years, but did return this March, stopping Gerardo Mellado. That followed his majority draw against Yamil Alberto Peralta. Rozicki has suffered one defeat in his career against Oscar Rivas.
The Brit suffered his second professional loss against Gilberto Ramirez, but did win last time out against Brandon Glanton. This will mark more than one year out of the ring for Billam-Smith, and under Zuffa, it’s vital he stays active.
Rozicki warns Billam-Smith ahead of Zuffa Boxing 07
Looking ahead to the Zuffa Boxing 07 main event, Rozicki said:
“I feel like this is a big moment for my fans, promotion and team.”
“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 is backing Rozicki to win at Zuffa Boxing 07:
“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.”