Ryan Rozicki (21-1-1, 20 KOs) stopped Gerardo Mellado (12-5, 7 KOs) at 1:01 of the second round in a cruiserweight main event at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Mellado came forward early and forced exchanges in the opening round. The Chilean landed a right hand that clipped Rozicki near the ear and briefly shook him, giving the returning contender a reminder of the danger in front of him.
“He was a lot tougher than I expected, and he hit very hard,” Rozicki said after the fight. “He had a very hard right hand, and he actually caught me in the first round, I wasn’t really expecting a shot, and it landed around my ear, and it actually staggered me a little bit and it kind of woke me up.”
Once Rozicki settled, the fight changed quickly. He stepped in behind heavy hooks and drove Mellado toward the ropes, digging to the body and finishing combinations with straight rights. Early in the second round he dropped Mellado, then forced him down again with another burst of punches before the referee stopped it.
“When I’m in that moment it’s killer or be killed so I guess I got it this time,” Rozicki said.
The victory marked Rozicki’s first fight since December 2024, when he fought Yamil Peralta to a majority draw for the WBC interim cruiserweight title. His planned title fight with Badou Jack was cancelled after a torn bicep tendon in training, and a later bout with Akani Phuzi was scrapped when he aggravated the injury during sparring.
Even with the long break and two surgeries on his right arm, Rozicki returned to the ring with the same approach that has produced knockouts in nearly all of his wins. He presses forward, sets his feet, and lets the combinations rip with bad intentions.
“I felt really calm, but I didn’t really feel anything until he actually hit me and when he actually hit me, I realized I was back in a fight again,” Rozicki said. “It was 15 months since I had been hit with a solid punch with a real pro fight glove on with no head gear.”
Rozicki, who held the WBC’s No. 1 ranking at cruiserweight earlier this year, now wants a title fight with WBC champion Noel Mikaelian.
“I would like to get back in the ring within weeks,” he said. “I want to get right back in there and my target right now is Noel Mikaelian for the WBC world title. He’s dodged a fight with me five times, and I think I’ve earned that shot at him, and I would like to make that fight as soon as possible.”
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