Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
-
ScottDetonator
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: 15 Mar 2011, 04:33
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Is Dana White coming to the UK for this one? They have the big UFC card on in the States shortly, so wonder if he'll be here. It would be a bit lacklustre if he's a no-show on the maiden voyage, so to speak.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100664
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Ryan Rozicki looks to bring violence to Chris Billam-Smith fight, June 6
Chris Billam-Smith headlines in the UK this weekend against Ryan Rozicki.
Cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki is cleared to take on Chris Billam-Smith this weekend Bournemouth, and while looking forward to the fight Rozicki actually takes a look back in time, drawing inspiration from Jack Dempsey. Rozicki tells Sky Sports he specifically marvels at the brutality on display in an old fight against Jess Willard, which is said to stand out as one of the more violent displays in the history of the sport.
“What Jack Dempsey did on that night, on July 4, 1919 in Toledo, Ohio, changed the course of boxing forever. I’d like to bring a little bit more of that,” Rozicki said. “Because although I like boxing, and appreciate the boxers, the movement, the technique, the jab, the angles, we don’t see enough of the violence - like two guys trying to actually hurt each other.”
Rozicki says he will bring more of that mentality to the sport and into this fight against Billam-Smith, as he says inflicting physical damage is always on the forefront of his mind as he looks to get his opponents out of there. Rozicki will enter this weekend’s fight as a betting underdog however, so he’s going to have to bring that cagey and fiery attitude between the ropes if he’s to offset what he’ll be facing opposite of him.
Chris Billam-Smith headlines in the UK this weekend against Ryan Rozicki.
Cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki is cleared to take on Chris Billam-Smith this weekend Bournemouth, and while looking forward to the fight Rozicki actually takes a look back in time, drawing inspiration from Jack Dempsey. Rozicki tells Sky Sports he specifically marvels at the brutality on display in an old fight against Jess Willard, which is said to stand out as one of the more violent displays in the history of the sport.
“What Jack Dempsey did on that night, on July 4, 1919 in Toledo, Ohio, changed the course of boxing forever. I’d like to bring a little bit more of that,” Rozicki said. “Because although I like boxing, and appreciate the boxers, the movement, the technique, the jab, the angles, we don’t see enough of the violence - like two guys trying to actually hurt each other.”
Rozicki says he will bring more of that mentality to the sport and into this fight against Billam-Smith, as he says inflicting physical damage is always on the forefront of his mind as he looks to get his opponents out of there. Rozicki will enter this weekend’s fight as a betting underdog however, so he’s going to have to bring that cagey and fiery attitude between the ropes if he’s to offset what he’ll be facing opposite of him.
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Rozicki looks like a bloke in his late 40s who just got out of a long stretch in jail.
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100664
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Ryan Rozicki cuts through red tape for Zuffa's U.K. debut versus Chris Billam-Smith
Ryan Rozicki embodies so much of what Zuffa Boxing executives have railed against in their dismissal of the sport’s four sanctioning bodies.
After multiple delays and repeated frustrations in attempting to land a world-title shot, Rozicki walked away from being the WBC’s No. 1-ranked cruiserweight contender to join Zuffa.
The new promotion headed by TKO Group executives Nick Khan and Dana White makes its U.K. debut Saturday night on Paramount+ and Sky by staging Canada’s Rozicki, 21-1-1 (20 KOs), versus former WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs), in the main event.
“Chris was the best, highest-ranked opponent available. This was the greatest [streaming] platform. It was a no-brainer,” Rozicki told BS. “And they said, ‘If you can beat him, you’re going to get these guys that are even better fighters.’ So I thought, ‘Why wouldn’t I do that instead of chasing guys behind me?’”
Rozicki is referencing unbeaten Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, the recent IBF champion who’s finalizing a deal to fight Rozicki’s WBC-champion nemesis Noel Mikaelian.
In late November, Rozicki boarded a flight to Thailand to effectively communicate his angst at the WBC Convention in Bangkok after languishing so long in line for a fight against Mikaelian, and for a deserved shot at the belt.
“The world title was a goal I chased for a long time, but then you saw what happened,” Rozicki said in reference to Mikaelian’s repeated withdrawals from a WBC cruiserweight title fight versus Rozicki dating to 2024.
When Rozicki, 31, was finally in position to have a title shot at Badou Jack, he suffered a biceps injury he blames on prolonged training and had to watch in distress as Mikaelian got the title fight.
“I had more injuries from all that training than the torn biceps. I just didn’t publicize them,” Rozicki said. “I should’ve got the Badou Jack fight, but who gets the opportunity? Mikaelian. Who loses, and then gets a rematch? Mikaelian. I’m sitting there watching this whole thing, wondering, ‘Why is he the one getting the rematch?’ He got his shot. He loses, he should be out.
“But then he gets the belt [by defeating Jack in the December rematch]. Now, we’ve seen him hold that belt hostage for as long as he possibly can.”
For Rozicki, the silliness of the gamesmanship and selective maneuvering is especially troubling since he has extensively studied and modelled his career after the no-nonsense legendary heavyweight champion from 1919-1926, Jack Dempsey.
“I only followed the eras of Dempsey, [Rocky] Marciano and [Joe] Louis, when you had world champions who would fight the top contenders,” he said. “Whereas, today, I don’t know what’s happened to boxing – is it politics? Is it money?
“Fighters get to choose if they want to defend against this guy or not. I was No. 1 mandatory for how long? And how many times did I get to go into the ring and fight for it? Zero. It makes no sense. I just stopped fixating on it, and my goal now is to get into the ring with the best fighters I can.”
Billam-Smith, 35, hosts Rozicki in his hometown of Bournemouth, England after previously standing as cruiserweight champion for more than a year before losing his WBO belt in 2024 to Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.
“I’m looking forward to the fight, to the challenge. He’s a hell of a fighter. I’ve seen him fight in person. I know what I’m up against,” Rozicki said.
“It’s the first fight in a long time I’m going in with no injuries. Whatever happens in the fight happens, but I know I’m coming there as best as I can be.”
It offers insight into the truth Rozicki espouses as a throwback, as a man who said he knew since childhood he was born to be a fighter.
Some of those battles took place out of the ring, and many with himself, as Rozicki strayed into trouble that imperiled his boxing ambition.
Having read Dempsey’s life story, Rozicki recounted a tale he told the WBC board in Thailand, yearning to communicate his devotion to the sport.
“There was this time I went real sideways and fell into some real tough situations outside the ring, heading down a bad path again,” Rozicki said.
“I went to an amateur boxing show my friend invited me to, along with a couple kids who wanted me to work the corner. In the dressing room, this old guy said, ‘I’ve got something for you,’ and he gave me this book. Jack Dempsey’s book. A very rare, old copy of his life story, one of the last books he’d ever written. I took it and thought, ‘Wow, this is a sign for me to get my head back to boxing.’”
Rozicki carries that book with him to every fight.
“There’s nothing I haven’t seen on [Dempsey] – read every book,” Rozicki said. “Then I would look up his opponents, read all of that and it spiraled from there. I became almost obsessed with those whole era – all the way up to the 1950s.
“Dempsey was my inspiration. I wanted to fight like him, be like him. That was always the thing that kept me on track.”
Some would say Rozicki’s aggressive, defensively lax style is a pure copy of the “Manassa Mauler’s” way.
“There’s a huge misconception on that, and Dempsey actually has a book called, ‘Aggressive Defense,’” Rozicki said. “His whole thing was that the best defense is a good offense. His defense was a lot better than people give him credit for. He was extremely hard to hit. A lot of his opponents, including [Gene] Tunney, talked about it.
“Even if you hit him, he used to chew pine gum so his jaw was like cement. He was so hard to knock out. Even just to hit him clean, he would always be coming right at you but his head was constantly moving on a figure eight, which I try my best to emulate. Sometimes it’s not a traditional style, like [heavyweight champion Oleksandr] Usyk, where I’m stepping into range or a [Vasiliy] Lomachenko style, where I’m coming around the side… I’m coming straight at them. It’s very easy to think I don’t have a defense. Truth is, if I didn’t have a defense, I would’ve been stopped countless times.”
Rozicki is 15-0-1 as a cruiserweight, with his one loss coming five years ago as a heavyweight.
Now, he ventures to the old world.
“I like it. It’s an old-school way to do it: Go into their backyard as an underdog,” Rozicki said. “I’ve got a real champion in front of me. I can’t wait.
“I know he’s a great fighter and I have a lot of respect for him, but when the bell rings, that all goes out the window, and I’m going to try and hurt him.”
Ryan Rozicki embodies so much of what Zuffa Boxing executives have railed against in their dismissal of the sport’s four sanctioning bodies.
After multiple delays and repeated frustrations in attempting to land a world-title shot, Rozicki walked away from being the WBC’s No. 1-ranked cruiserweight contender to join Zuffa.
The new promotion headed by TKO Group executives Nick Khan and Dana White makes its U.K. debut Saturday night on Paramount+ and Sky by staging Canada’s Rozicki, 21-1-1 (20 KOs), versus former WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs), in the main event.
“Chris was the best, highest-ranked opponent available. This was the greatest [streaming] platform. It was a no-brainer,” Rozicki told BS. “And they said, ‘If you can beat him, you’re going to get these guys that are even better fighters.’ So I thought, ‘Why wouldn’t I do that instead of chasing guys behind me?’”
Rozicki is referencing unbeaten Zuffa cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, the recent IBF champion who’s finalizing a deal to fight Rozicki’s WBC-champion nemesis Noel Mikaelian.
In late November, Rozicki boarded a flight to Thailand to effectively communicate his angst at the WBC Convention in Bangkok after languishing so long in line for a fight against Mikaelian, and for a deserved shot at the belt.
“The world title was a goal I chased for a long time, but then you saw what happened,” Rozicki said in reference to Mikaelian’s repeated withdrawals from a WBC cruiserweight title fight versus Rozicki dating to 2024.
When Rozicki, 31, was finally in position to have a title shot at Badou Jack, he suffered a biceps injury he blames on prolonged training and had to watch in distress as Mikaelian got the title fight.
“I had more injuries from all that training than the torn biceps. I just didn’t publicize them,” Rozicki said. “I should’ve got the Badou Jack fight, but who gets the opportunity? Mikaelian. Who loses, and then gets a rematch? Mikaelian. I’m sitting there watching this whole thing, wondering, ‘Why is he the one getting the rematch?’ He got his shot. He loses, he should be out.
“But then he gets the belt [by defeating Jack in the December rematch]. Now, we’ve seen him hold that belt hostage for as long as he possibly can.”
For Rozicki, the silliness of the gamesmanship and selective maneuvering is especially troubling since he has extensively studied and modelled his career after the no-nonsense legendary heavyweight champion from 1919-1926, Jack Dempsey.
“I only followed the eras of Dempsey, [Rocky] Marciano and [Joe] Louis, when you had world champions who would fight the top contenders,” he said. “Whereas, today, I don’t know what’s happened to boxing – is it politics? Is it money?
“Fighters get to choose if they want to defend against this guy or not. I was No. 1 mandatory for how long? And how many times did I get to go into the ring and fight for it? Zero. It makes no sense. I just stopped fixating on it, and my goal now is to get into the ring with the best fighters I can.”
Billam-Smith, 35, hosts Rozicki in his hometown of Bournemouth, England after previously standing as cruiserweight champion for more than a year before losing his WBO belt in 2024 to Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.
“I’m looking forward to the fight, to the challenge. He’s a hell of a fighter. I’ve seen him fight in person. I know what I’m up against,” Rozicki said.
“It’s the first fight in a long time I’m going in with no injuries. Whatever happens in the fight happens, but I know I’m coming there as best as I can be.”
It offers insight into the truth Rozicki espouses as a throwback, as a man who said he knew since childhood he was born to be a fighter.
Some of those battles took place out of the ring, and many with himself, as Rozicki strayed into trouble that imperiled his boxing ambition.
Having read Dempsey’s life story, Rozicki recounted a tale he told the WBC board in Thailand, yearning to communicate his devotion to the sport.
“There was this time I went real sideways and fell into some real tough situations outside the ring, heading down a bad path again,” Rozicki said.
“I went to an amateur boxing show my friend invited me to, along with a couple kids who wanted me to work the corner. In the dressing room, this old guy said, ‘I’ve got something for you,’ and he gave me this book. Jack Dempsey’s book. A very rare, old copy of his life story, one of the last books he’d ever written. I took it and thought, ‘Wow, this is a sign for me to get my head back to boxing.’”
Rozicki carries that book with him to every fight.
“There’s nothing I haven’t seen on [Dempsey] – read every book,” Rozicki said. “Then I would look up his opponents, read all of that and it spiraled from there. I became almost obsessed with those whole era – all the way up to the 1950s.
“Dempsey was my inspiration. I wanted to fight like him, be like him. That was always the thing that kept me on track.”
Some would say Rozicki’s aggressive, defensively lax style is a pure copy of the “Manassa Mauler’s” way.
“There’s a huge misconception on that, and Dempsey actually has a book called, ‘Aggressive Defense,’” Rozicki said. “His whole thing was that the best defense is a good offense. His defense was a lot better than people give him credit for. He was extremely hard to hit. A lot of his opponents, including [Gene] Tunney, talked about it.
“Even if you hit him, he used to chew pine gum so his jaw was like cement. He was so hard to knock out. Even just to hit him clean, he would always be coming right at you but his head was constantly moving on a figure eight, which I try my best to emulate. Sometimes it’s not a traditional style, like [heavyweight champion Oleksandr] Usyk, where I’m stepping into range or a [Vasiliy] Lomachenko style, where I’m coming around the side… I’m coming straight at them. It’s very easy to think I don’t have a defense. Truth is, if I didn’t have a defense, I would’ve been stopped countless times.”
Rozicki is 15-0-1 as a cruiserweight, with his one loss coming five years ago as a heavyweight.
Now, he ventures to the old world.
“I like it. It’s an old-school way to do it: Go into their backyard as an underdog,” Rozicki said. “I’ve got a real champion in front of me. I can’t wait.
“I know he’s a great fighter and I have a lot of respect for him, but when the bell rings, that all goes out the window, and I’m going to try and hurt him.”
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100664
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Ryan Rozicki looks to bring violence to Chris Billam-Smith fight, June 6
Chris Billam-Smith headlines in the UK this weekend against Ryan Rozicki.
Cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki is cleared to take on Chris Billam-Smith this weekend Bournemouth, and while looking forward to the fight Rozicki actually takes a look back in time, drawing inspiration from Jack Dempsey. Rozicki tells Sky Sports he specifically marvels at the brutality on display in an old fight against Jess Willard, which is said to stand out as one of the more violent displays in the history of the sport.
“What Jack Dempsey did on that night, on July 4, 1919 in Toledo, Ohio, changed the course of boxing forever. I’d like to bring a little bit more of that,” Rozicki said. “Because although I like boxing, and appreciate the boxers, the movement, the technique, the jab, the angles, we don’t see enough of the violence - like two guys trying to actually hurt each other.”
Rozicki says he will bring more of that mentality to the sport and into this fight against Billam-Smith, as he says inflicting physical damage is always on the forefront of his mind as he looks to get his opponents out of there. Rozicki will enter this weekend’s fight as a betting underdog however, so he’s going to have to bring that cagey and fiery attitude between the ropes if he’s to offset what he’ll be facing opposite of him.
Chris Billam-Smith headlines in the UK this weekend against Ryan Rozicki.
Cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki is cleared to take on Chris Billam-Smith this weekend Bournemouth, and while looking forward to the fight Rozicki actually takes a look back in time, drawing inspiration from Jack Dempsey. Rozicki tells Sky Sports he specifically marvels at the brutality on display in an old fight against Jess Willard, which is said to stand out as one of the more violent displays in the history of the sport.
“What Jack Dempsey did on that night, on July 4, 1919 in Toledo, Ohio, changed the course of boxing forever. I’d like to bring a little bit more of that,” Rozicki said. “Because although I like boxing, and appreciate the boxers, the movement, the technique, the jab, the angles, we don’t see enough of the violence - like two guys trying to actually hurt each other.”
Rozicki says he will bring more of that mentality to the sport and into this fight against Billam-Smith, as he says inflicting physical damage is always on the forefront of his mind as he looks to get his opponents out of there. Rozicki will enter this weekend’s fight as a betting underdog however, so he’s going to have to bring that cagey and fiery attitude between the ropes if he’s to offset what he’ll be facing opposite of him.
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
It's on SKY One too
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100664
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
-
SeanBrennan
- Bantamweight
- Posts: 9629
- Joined: 12 Feb 2022, 12:45
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Buzzing I was going to pay for Sky sports but no need to now!Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑Yesterday, 06:18it is indeed. mentioned this yesterday.
So anyone with a regular sky subscription.
I know I’m like a stuck record re fighter pay but do you think CBS will be on a good 6 figure pay for this?
-
SeanBrennan
- Bantamweight
- Posts: 9629
- Joined: 12 Feb 2022, 12:45
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
And I ask that as in hoping he is not as in he’s not worth it
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
i am, i see they have reduced the ticket price shame i could have got closer for cheaper.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑01 Jun 2026, 06:41 https://www.bic.co.uk/events/sky-boxing-2026
plenty tickets going still ..
anyone going this weekend?
im supised it didnt sell quick for a 3k venue.
hard fight to call be either Rozicki walks through cbs early or cbs shows his experience and grinds him down for a late stoppage.
-
Frostieballs
- Super Bantamweight
- Posts: 1995
- Joined: 15 Aug 2020, 17:38
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
It’s Zuffa, so reckon will be about £150k!SeanBrennan wrote: ↑Yesterday, 09:47Buzzing I was going to pay for Sky sports but no need to now!Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑Yesterday, 06:18it is indeed. mentioned this yesterday.
So anyone with a regular sky subscription.
I know I’m like a stuck record re fighter pay but do you think CBS will be on a good 6 figure pay for this?
-
SeanBrennan
- Bantamweight
- Posts: 9629
- Joined: 12 Feb 2022, 12:45
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Cheers FrostieFrostieballs wrote: ↑Yesterday, 14:25It’s Zuffa, so reckon will be about £150k!SeanBrennan wrote: ↑Yesterday, 09:47Buzzing I was going to pay for Sky sports but no need to now!Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑Yesterday, 06:18
it is indeed. mentioned this yesterday.
So anyone with a regular sky subscription.
I know I’m like a stuck record re fighter pay but do you think CBS will be on a good 6 figure pay for this?
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Any chance Billiam-Smith is getting chinned in this ?
-
margaret thatcher
- Featherweight
- Posts: 39200
- Joined: 22 Jul 2019, 15:43
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
cbs seems pretty tough, so id guess not getting chinned. but rozicki does have power and stranger things have happened, cbs not hard to find either.
style wise it should be a good fight, rozicki a crude bruiser but game as heck with some pop. cbs should have edge but will have to work hard
style wise it should be a good fight, rozicki a crude bruiser but game as heck with some pop. cbs should have edge but will have to work hard
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100664
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Trying to appeal to UFC and WWE fans
-
johnmanchester
- Light Flyweight
- Posts: 245
- Joined: 12 May 2025, 04:36
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
This format has worked well for the UFC
But 5pm on a Friday is an odd start time
-
Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100664
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Ryan Rozicki: Boxing saved me. I didn’t understand how hard I punched until it was almost too late
Ryan Rozicki grew up working as a woodcutter in Nova Scotia; He discovered fearful punch-power in street brawls but changed his life through boxing and the inspiration of Jack Dempsey
Ryan Rozicki is coming to hurt Chris Billam-Smith. It's not personal. It's simply his craft.
Rozicki comes to Billam-Smith's hometown to fight the former world champion at the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
The Canadian has never lost at cruiserweight and every win he's had, bar one, has come inside the distance. To him that points decision doesn't feel like a victory.
"For me it's not about winning or losing. I love to fight," Rozicki told Sky Sports. "And I love to knock people out. To me winning a fight is when the opponent's on the floor and he can't fight anymore. When a judge declares you the winner of a fight, I'll take it, I get it, but I don't feel like I've won.
"I feel like I've won the fight when the man is unable to fight anymore."
Billam-Smith has operated at the highest level of the sport, beating Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe among others in WBO world title fights and losing to Gilberto Ramirez in a championship unification.
Rozicki in contrast is yet to fight for a major title and this will be his first contest outside of Canada. But the visitor has identified a fundamental flaw in Billam-Smith and one which he will naturally exploit.
"He gets hit. That's a weakness. You can't get hit against me," he said. "It's a fight I've always wanted."
But he added: "Honestly I don't think about my power like that. It seems like everybody else does. I don't think about how hard I'm hitting them. I think about what I'm breaking and the damage I'm doing when I'm hitting them.
"His previous fights the shots he got hit with, I just think I hit him with those same shots, I'm going to break stuff. I'm going to probably break parts of his head. Parts of his face, his arms, things like that."
The Canadian believes that power of his was honed in his youth, working alongside his grandfather as a woodcutter. From a remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton.
"Once I started working with my grandfather I kind of lost interest in fighting and I just became all about cutting wood. From the age of about seven to 11 I was just fighting. I was just a kid fighting other kids, even I would fight teenagers. But once I got to about 11 years old, my life was just the woods, the farm, hunting, planting potatoes, cutting trees, that's all I cared about just work, work, work," he recalled.
"Once I was probably about 15, actually my grandfather - to this day he says it was his biggest regret - he told me: 'Ryan I think it's time you get some friends.' Because I was only hanging out with him. All I wanted to do was be in the woods and cut trees."
Rozicki added of Cape Breton: "It's a very tough place. Fighting is huge there. When I was growing up nobody cared about who had the most money, who had the nicest house. If you're coming flashing your money, where I'm from, nobody cares. When you come and you've got a reputation as a fighter, well, you're going to be taken care of. That's all they care about.
"Other than that brief four years of labour in the woods and on the farm, everything else was fighting."
It was a while though before Rozicki found his way to the sport of boxing.
"Everybody was looking for fights, that's all there was to do around there, was drink and fight. It didn't take me long to start getting into fights," he said.
"After the first one, I knocked the guy out in a streetfight and my friend was like: 'Nobody's ever done that to that guy!' Because that guy was a fighter.
"I didn't understand how hard I punched until it was almost too late. Streetfighters, these guys don't know how to parry a jab or take a step back. It's a couple of guys hitting each other until someone goes down. If you're lucky, they walk away," Rozicki continued.
"It was only a matter of time until I hit somebody and they go down the wrong way."
Initially boxing didn't appeal to him, he didn't want to fight with gloves. But taking up the sport, as it has for many others, proved to be his salvation.
"It saved me and it probably saved somebody or multiple other people," Rozicki reflected.
He got a harsh lesson when he first went to a local boxing gym, which was run by the correctional officer in the area.
"He was on the Canadian national team, he was the provincial champion," Rozicki noted. "He was a really good amateur.
"He ended up being the first one to spar me with gloves on.
"I walked into the gym, black eyes, stitches, just wanted to hit the bag that's all I wanted to do, hit the bag and spar."
Looking at this boxer-coach, Rozicki thought to himself: "I fight 300lb men on the street and knocked them out, what's this guy going to do?"
It didn't work out that way. "I couldn't lay a glove on him, he moved around," the fighter remembered. "Boom, he hit me with a left hook to the liver. I didn't go down, but I turned. I was like finished. I tried to fight but that was it, liver shot. And I got out the ring, I was quiet, it was over and he said: 'It's not what you thought it was.' I said no."
"You've got to learn how to box," came his new sparring partner's reply.
That prompted Rozicki to do his research. He found grainy footage of Jack Dempsey online. The boxing legend remains his inspiration. He vividly recalls watching Dempsey hammer Jess Willard in their 1919 clash, widely regarded as the most savage heavyweight championship fight in boxing history.
"That was the first time I ever watched a boxing match," Rozicki said. "It was watching this man who 187lbs, six foot one, six foot two, just absolutely brutally beat this giant, who was the heavyweight champion of the world.
"His teeth were knocked out, his jaw was broken, his eye socket was broken, ribs were broken, this guy's basically a punching bag. But the way he was delivering the punches, the way he was rolling - I'd never seen anything like it before.
"Remember I'm coming from streetfighting where people throw haymakers, headlocks, on the ground rolling around. So watching this boxing, I'm mesmerised. To this day."
He carries a book written by Dempsey with him to his fights. He uses it for inspiration. The copy he has, an orange hardback, was given to him at a boxing show. "It was like a mysterious guy on a fight card. It was a really weird moment so it means something," Rozicki said. "He knew I was Dempsey fan.
"Even in the book I have a Dempsey coin, I have all kinds of memorabilia, I have stuff that his family members sent to me, a whole bunch of Jack Dempsey stuff. This book in particular, because of the way I got it, at the time I got it, that's why I take it into the ring. It's like my Bible."
He wants to emulate his hero, even if it means being the villain in Billam-Smith's hometown.
"Jack was the villain too. He was the villain in most of his fights. That's my path. That's the way it's supposed to be. But at the end of the day, the crowd can't fight for Chris. The crowd can't fight for me. It doesn't make a difference," Rozicki said.
"I think they'll be cheering for both of us at the end. I believe that."
Rozicki has the mindset of the hunter he is. "When I'm on a bear, when I'm on a deer, a moose and I'm on one particular animal, I can't train, I can't fight, I can't even think about boxing because I'm so focused on getting that kill, getting that animal. Which I eat all the meat by the way for those animal protectors out there - I don't waste nothing. But if I'm on an animal I will not sleep. I'm on it day and night, day and night until I get it," Rozicki said.
"I will not let up until I get it. And I've got them all. Every single animal."
Billam-Smith is now his quarry. "He's all I think about. Every day. I dream about it. I think about it. I'm thinking about him 24/7," he said.
"The quicker I can get it done the quicker I can get to the next fight.
"Right now it's about getting it done."
Ryan Rozicki grew up working as a woodcutter in Nova Scotia; He discovered fearful punch-power in street brawls but changed his life through boxing and the inspiration of Jack Dempsey
Ryan Rozicki is coming to hurt Chris Billam-Smith. It's not personal. It's simply his craft.
Rozicki comes to Billam-Smith's hometown to fight the former world champion at the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
The Canadian has never lost at cruiserweight and every win he's had, bar one, has come inside the distance. To him that points decision doesn't feel like a victory.
"For me it's not about winning or losing. I love to fight," Rozicki told Sky Sports. "And I love to knock people out. To me winning a fight is when the opponent's on the floor and he can't fight anymore. When a judge declares you the winner of a fight, I'll take it, I get it, but I don't feel like I've won.
"I feel like I've won the fight when the man is unable to fight anymore."
Billam-Smith has operated at the highest level of the sport, beating Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe among others in WBO world title fights and losing to Gilberto Ramirez in a championship unification.
Rozicki in contrast is yet to fight for a major title and this will be his first contest outside of Canada. But the visitor has identified a fundamental flaw in Billam-Smith and one which he will naturally exploit.
"He gets hit. That's a weakness. You can't get hit against me," he said. "It's a fight I've always wanted."
But he added: "Honestly I don't think about my power like that. It seems like everybody else does. I don't think about how hard I'm hitting them. I think about what I'm breaking and the damage I'm doing when I'm hitting them.
"His previous fights the shots he got hit with, I just think I hit him with those same shots, I'm going to break stuff. I'm going to probably break parts of his head. Parts of his face, his arms, things like that."
The Canadian believes that power of his was honed in his youth, working alongside his grandfather as a woodcutter. From a remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton.
"Once I started working with my grandfather I kind of lost interest in fighting and I just became all about cutting wood. From the age of about seven to 11 I was just fighting. I was just a kid fighting other kids, even I would fight teenagers. But once I got to about 11 years old, my life was just the woods, the farm, hunting, planting potatoes, cutting trees, that's all I cared about just work, work, work," he recalled.
"Once I was probably about 15, actually my grandfather - to this day he says it was his biggest regret - he told me: 'Ryan I think it's time you get some friends.' Because I was only hanging out with him. All I wanted to do was be in the woods and cut trees."
Rozicki added of Cape Breton: "It's a very tough place. Fighting is huge there. When I was growing up nobody cared about who had the most money, who had the nicest house. If you're coming flashing your money, where I'm from, nobody cares. When you come and you've got a reputation as a fighter, well, you're going to be taken care of. That's all they care about.
"Other than that brief four years of labour in the woods and on the farm, everything else was fighting."
It was a while though before Rozicki found his way to the sport of boxing.
"Everybody was looking for fights, that's all there was to do around there, was drink and fight. It didn't take me long to start getting into fights," he said.
"After the first one, I knocked the guy out in a streetfight and my friend was like: 'Nobody's ever done that to that guy!' Because that guy was a fighter.
"I didn't understand how hard I punched until it was almost too late. Streetfighters, these guys don't know how to parry a jab or take a step back. It's a couple of guys hitting each other until someone goes down. If you're lucky, they walk away," Rozicki continued.
"It was only a matter of time until I hit somebody and they go down the wrong way."
Initially boxing didn't appeal to him, he didn't want to fight with gloves. But taking up the sport, as it has for many others, proved to be his salvation.
"It saved me and it probably saved somebody or multiple other people," Rozicki reflected.
He got a harsh lesson when he first went to a local boxing gym, which was run by the correctional officer in the area.
"He was on the Canadian national team, he was the provincial champion," Rozicki noted. "He was a really good amateur.
"He ended up being the first one to spar me with gloves on.
"I walked into the gym, black eyes, stitches, just wanted to hit the bag that's all I wanted to do, hit the bag and spar."
Looking at this boxer-coach, Rozicki thought to himself: "I fight 300lb men on the street and knocked them out, what's this guy going to do?"
It didn't work out that way. "I couldn't lay a glove on him, he moved around," the fighter remembered. "Boom, he hit me with a left hook to the liver. I didn't go down, but I turned. I was like finished. I tried to fight but that was it, liver shot. And I got out the ring, I was quiet, it was over and he said: 'It's not what you thought it was.' I said no."
"You've got to learn how to box," came his new sparring partner's reply.
That prompted Rozicki to do his research. He found grainy footage of Jack Dempsey online. The boxing legend remains his inspiration. He vividly recalls watching Dempsey hammer Jess Willard in their 1919 clash, widely regarded as the most savage heavyweight championship fight in boxing history.
"That was the first time I ever watched a boxing match," Rozicki said. "It was watching this man who 187lbs, six foot one, six foot two, just absolutely brutally beat this giant, who was the heavyweight champion of the world.
"His teeth were knocked out, his jaw was broken, his eye socket was broken, ribs were broken, this guy's basically a punching bag. But the way he was delivering the punches, the way he was rolling - I'd never seen anything like it before.
"Remember I'm coming from streetfighting where people throw haymakers, headlocks, on the ground rolling around. So watching this boxing, I'm mesmerised. To this day."
He carries a book written by Dempsey with him to his fights. He uses it for inspiration. The copy he has, an orange hardback, was given to him at a boxing show. "It was like a mysterious guy on a fight card. It was a really weird moment so it means something," Rozicki said. "He knew I was Dempsey fan.
"Even in the book I have a Dempsey coin, I have all kinds of memorabilia, I have stuff that his family members sent to me, a whole bunch of Jack Dempsey stuff. This book in particular, because of the way I got it, at the time I got it, that's why I take it into the ring. It's like my Bible."
He wants to emulate his hero, even if it means being the villain in Billam-Smith's hometown.
"Jack was the villain too. He was the villain in most of his fights. That's my path. That's the way it's supposed to be. But at the end of the day, the crowd can't fight for Chris. The crowd can't fight for me. It doesn't make a difference," Rozicki said.
"I think they'll be cheering for both of us at the end. I believe that."
Rozicki has the mindset of the hunter he is. "When I'm on a bear, when I'm on a deer, a moose and I'm on one particular animal, I can't train, I can't fight, I can't even think about boxing because I'm so focused on getting that kill, getting that animal. Which I eat all the meat by the way for those animal protectors out there - I don't waste nothing. But if I'm on an animal I will not sleep. I'm on it day and night, day and night until I get it," Rozicki said.
"I will not let up until I get it. And I've got them all. Every single animal."
Billam-Smith is now his quarry. "He's all I think about. Every day. I dream about it. I think about it. I'm thinking about him 24/7," he said.
"The quicker I can get it done the quicker I can get to the next fight.
"Right now it's about getting it done."
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
Boxing skills of Rozicki are pretty limited, but guy who can punch, can take a punch and have good stamina is always dangerous IMO. Would cheer for him in this one 
-
keithmoonhangover
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 16747
- Joined: 16 Sep 2010, 10:42
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
He's still not listed as the promoter on BoxRec and his name doesn't appear on the BBBofC's website as a promoter.ScottDetonator wrote: ↑01 Jun 2026, 09:36 Is Dana White coming to the UK for this one? They have the big UFC card on in the States shortly, so wonder if he'll be here. It would be a bit lacklustre if he's a no-show on the maiden voyage, so to speak.
-
Frostieballs
- Super Bantamweight
- Posts: 1995
- Joined: 15 Aug 2020, 17:38
Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | Sky Sports - 6 June 2026
He’s to scared of Eddie to come over!keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑Today, 12:49He's still not listed as the promoter on BoxRec and his name doesn't appear on the BBBofC's website as a promoter.ScottDetonator wrote: ↑01 Jun 2026, 09:36 Is Dana White coming to the UK for this one? They have the big UFC card on in the States shortly, so wonder if he'll be here. It would be a bit lacklustre if he's a no-show on the maiden voyage, so to speak.