If you were going to cast a real-life boxer in the next installment of the Creed movie franchise and wanted the key antagonist to be an intense “silent assassin” type, you’d do well to find someone who fits the bill better than Ryan Rozicki.The Canadian isn’t here to wave to fans and kiss babies. He’s here to get in the ring, flatten his opponent, then head home with a winner’s check in his back pocket. It’s something Rozicki has done very successfully in his career so far. In 23 professional fights, “The Bruiser” has won 21, drawn one, and lost just once — on points to Oscar Rivas, a former bridgerweight champion who outweighed him by 20 pounds. Of Rozicki’s 21 wins, 20 have come via knockout. On Saturday night, the 31-year-old Canadian will step under the lights of a Zuffa Boxing event for the first time as he takes on former cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith in the Englishman’s hometown of Bournemouth. It’s his first professional assignment outside of his native Canada, and one that he accepts knowing that victory could lead to bigger, more lucrative opportunities down the line. “To get more money, I gotta go fight outside Canada,” he said.

 

That short, direct response mirrors his fighting style. When you step in the ring with Ryan Rozicki, you know exactly what you’re going to get. He plans on showcasing his heavy-handed, no-frills brand of violence against the best in the world as part of Zuffa Boxing’s cruiserweight roster. The chance to fight the best and avoid boxing politics was the driving factor in his decision to sign for Zuffa Boxing in the first place. “I get to face the best fighters, I get to fight all the best in the division and nobody gets to pick and choose who they want to fight," Rozicki said. "That's why I'm here."

 

His first appearance overseas pits Rozicki against another cruiserweight with a well-earned reputation as a hard-nosed operator. Billam-Smith has made his name by being able to wear down and beat some of the best in the world at 200 pounds, as his world title success proved. The stylistic matchup between the pair - an irresistible force going up against an immovable object - offers a mouthwatering main event contest at the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday night. That, Rozicki said, is exactly why the pair were matched together by the Zuffa Boxing brass. “They know it's a good fight,” he said. “They know this fight can only be a war, can only be a good fight, so I believe that's why they made the fight.”

 

The pair went head-to-head in a fascinating face-to-face interview on Sky Sports in the UK, where Rozicki’s simmering intensity could be felt through the screen. During the interview, he told the story of how he got into boxing as a troubled youth who was court-mandated to enlist in a sport. A young Rozicki wanted to go into hockey, but his father insisted he go into boxing. Since then, he’s put food on the table with his fists and now finds himself as one of the most dangerous cruiserweights on the planet.

 

While learning his trade as a boxer, Rozicki used to watch footage of the legends of yesteryear and immediately gravitated to the no-nonsense approach of former world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, whose fighting style helped influence his own. Rozicki explained that his way of fighting is very much a throwback to that era of the sport. “Brutal, violent, reminiscent of the greats of the early 20s," he said. "Probably early-20s to early-30s, with a little bit of modern too. I base my whole style on Jack Dempsey, as most people know, so expect to see things that you'd only see in a black-and-white film."

 

"[The fans] can think whatever they want," he continued. "I'm here to win. I'm not here to please anybody. I'm here to win the fight, and hopefully it's a great fight. I guess I have to say I hope they enjoy the fight, but I know they will.” And while he didn’t go into chapter and verse when asked what the fans can expect, his answer left no room for ambiguity. “[Expect] a lot of action,” he said. “It’ll be brutal for as long as it lasts.”