Power-punching Canadian cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs) will return from injury on March 7th against Gerardo Mellado (12-4, 7 KOs) in a ten rounder presented by Three Lions Promotions at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. As Rozicki pursues his goal of becoming the first Canadian-born cruiserweight champion, he'll be fighting for the first time since December 2024, having been sidelined largely due to a torn right bicep that he reinjured, causing a world title fight to fall through. Rozicki is currently ranked #1 by the WBC.
A Nova Scotia native, Rozicki, 30, is unbeaten in seven fights in Sydney with 1 draw and 6 knockouts. He was scheduled to fight Akani “Prime” Phuzi on October 25th but the bout was cancelled after Rozicki reinjured his right bicep.
The eight-round co-feature is set between Canadian light heavyweights Brandon Brewer (28-4-3, 12 KOs) an Daniel Beaupre (6-2, 3 KOs). Undercard fights include an All-Nova Scotia showdown between a pair of popular local boxers, Brett Beaton (6-4, 4 KOs) and David Logue (4-1, 4 KOs) with the vacant Canadian super middleweight championship at stake. Also, Canadian junior middleweight Dylan Taylor (4-0, 3 KOs) faces Alex Nemeth (1-1-0), of Hungary, in a six-round match. Tickets are on sale and available for purchase online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ca) and the Centre 200 website (www.centre200.ca).
Ultimately, Rozicki wants to fight IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs). “Jai and his team know who I am,” Rozicki reported. “I have been knocking on that door for years. They obviously don’t want the fight; it is what it is. Right now, I’m focused on my March 7th bout. Then, I’m coming to take what’s mine! I’m going to be the cruiserweight champion of the world.”
“We tried numerous times to get that fight with Jai,” Three Lions Promotions Managing Director Daniel Otter explained. “I’m sure Dana White (Zuffa Boxing) will like that fight (Opetaia vs. Rozicki). He makes his guys take on the best. Ryan has a fight next month, the day before Jai. Let’s see what happens after those fights. I am confident that Ryan has what it takes to stop Jai. To be frank, I think that because of the styles of both fighters, Ryan gets him out of there early. No disrespect to Jai and his team, but Ryan is cut from a different cloth. Everyone will find out soon enough.” Fighting out of Australia, Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs) recently signed a promotional deal with Zuffa Boxing, and he faces Brandon Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) on March 8th at Metro Apex in Las Vegas.
Card subject to change.
