Rozicki ready for title fight

WBC mandatory cruiserweight title challenger Ryan Rocicki (20-1, 19 KOs) from Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, is fresh off of his first round knockout of Olanrewaju Durodola last month. That victory now sets the stage for his showdown with current WBC Cruiserweight world champion Norair Mikaeljan (27-2, 12 KOs). Fightnews spoke with both Rocicki and his promoter Dan Otter (Three Lions Promotions) with regards to his last fight and having earned the right to be next in line to face Mikaelian.

Congratulations on winning your WBC eliminator in your last fight. How surprised were you that you scored the knockout so early into the fight?

Thank you. It could have been King Kong across from me that night and I was getting the knockout. Anyone who steps in the ring with me is a walking dead man as far as I’m concerned and Durodola is lucky the ref stopped when he did because I was ready to fight in there until the death. So no, not surprised, just gave me some reassurance.

What did it mean for you to have the local crowd who came out to you to support you for such an important fight in your career?

Fighting in front of my hometown is so special to me, my family and friends I grew up with were all there to support me. With the fans behind me, there’s nothing like it. The energy in there that night was unbelievable.

What do you know about the WBC cruiserweight world champion?

I know everything that I could possibly know. From the first cruiserweight champion to the last. Holyfield, Bellew and Usyk were all boxing greats that held the WBC cruiserweight world title. The green belt (WBC) is the most prestigious belt in boxing and I’m honored to be on the level with these boxing greats I just mentioned.

What kind of fight should fans expect when you both meet in the ring?

I ain’t coming for just a boxing match, this is going to be an all-out war. There will be blood and a knockout that I can guarantee. Norair better be training as much as he can, he has never been in there with anyone like me. Some people Know that I believe Jack Dempsey is my boxing god, so anyone can go back and watch Jack in his glory days, that’s what the fans can expect from me in every fight. It’s kill or be killed when Noel or anyone gets in there with me. May the best man win.

What is the status of negotiations for the fight?

We have just begun negotiations with Don King and we are hoping to come to an agreement before the deadline – which was issued by WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. We have until the end of January, if not, the world title bout will go to purse bid.

Is there a possibility that you can host the fight locally with the fight being televised or on an application platform?

We are exploring all options and it is definitely a possibility that we will be hosting the world title bout in Canada. We are in talks with industry leaders on a national and global level and are confident that we will have the right platform to showcase the fight.

The post Rozicki ready for title fight appeared first on fightnews.com.