Noel Mikaeljan Suffers Cut In Sparring, WBC Title Defense Versus Ryan Rozicki Postponed
The one fight that was backed by Don King Productions to actually place is no longer on the schedule.
Noel Mikaeljan was forced to postpone WBC cruiserweight title defense versus Canada’s Ryan Rozicki. The two were scheduled to meet on a June 7 DKP extravaganza at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. However, Mikaeljan was required to get stitches for a cut suffered during training camp and was forced to delay the fight.
The Ring has confirmed that the bout will be rescheduled for a later date, in lieu of a new opponent sought for Rozicki.
Mikaeljan (27-2, 12 knockouts, rated No. 3 at 200 by The Ring, was due to make his first title defense. The 33-year-old Armenian won the belt in a third-round knockout of former titlist former champ Ilunga Makabu last November 4 in his adopted Miami hometown. He remains the only active titlist on King’s current promotional roster.
Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) will enter his second career title fight once DKP is able reschedule the bout. The 29-year-old from Ontario, Canada has won seven in a row since an October 2021 defeat to Oscar Rivas. Their fiercely contested battle marked the inaugural WBC Bridgerweight title fight.
The rest of the show is expected to proceed as planned, even with concerns over the evening’s most notable matchup.
Adrien Broner and Blair Cobbs are set to collide in a welterweight battle.
Broner (35-4-1, 24 knockouts) will go 52 weeks between bouts by the opening bell. His previous appearance marked his debut with Don King Productions (DKP). The former four-division titlist outpointed Bill Hutchinson over ten rounds last June 9 in Miami, Florida.
DKP’s previous press announcement cast doubt on whether Broner would show up. The outspoken boxer has given his assurance that all systems are go.
Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs) will end a nearly two-year hiatus. The Las Vegas-based welterweight was last seen in an August 2022 points win over former WBO 140-pound titleholder Maurice Hooker in Fort Worth, Texas. It came five months after his lone defeat, a March 2022 ninth-round stoppage to Alexis Rocha in Los Angeles.
Broner has won major titles at 130, 135, 140 and 147. However, he has not fought at that level since the January 2019 defeat to Pacquiao.
The past several months has seen Cincinnati’s Broner—who now trains in South Florida—call out virtually every fighter at 140 and 147. An instant rivalry was created once Cobbs signed with DKP earlier this year.
Rather than create separate showcase bouts, a decision was made to instead proceed with a head-on collision.
Also on the show, Cassius Chaney and Michael Hunter II meet in a bout between WBA top ten-ranked contenders. King has insisted the bout will carry the interim WBA heavyweight title at stake. The belt was removed from circulation in 2021. The Ring has yet to confirm the validity behind that claim that it will be resurrected for this show.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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