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 Center 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Mellado came out ahead early and forced turnovers in the opening round. The Chilean landed a right hand that clipped Rozicki near the ear and shook him briefly, giving the returning contender a reminder of the danger ahead.
“He was a lot tougher than I expected, and he hit really hard,” Rozicki told the Cape Breton Post. “He had a really 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 wobbled me a little bit and it kind of woke me up.”
Once Rozicki settled down, the battle changed quickly. He stepped in behind heavy hooks and drove Mellado to the ropes, digging to the body and finishing combinations with straight rights. Early in the second round, he dropped Mellado and then peppered him with another flurry of punches before the referee stopped it.
“When I’m in that moment, it’s killer or be killed, so I think I got it this time,” Rozicki said.
The win was 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 canceled after a torn bicep tendon during training, and a later bout with Akani Phuzi was scrapped when he aggravated the injury during sparring.
Even with the long layoff and two surgeries on his right arm, Rozicki returned to the ring with the same approach that produced knockouts in nearly all of his victories. He pushes forward, puts his feet and lets the combos rip with bad intentions.
“I felt very 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,” Rozicki said. “It’s been 15 months since I got hit with a solid punch with a real pro fight glove on and 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’d like to get back in the ring within weeks,” he said. “I want to come right back 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’d love to make that fight as soon as possible.”
