Bourne Supremacy: Billam-Smith Vs. Rozicki and the Expansion of Zuffa
Zuffa Boxing 07: Billam-Smith Vs. Rozicki sees the TKO venture expand into international territory, with the victory of Bournemouth's Chris Billam-Smith!
Image Courtesy of Eight Count.
Introduction
The Zuffa experiment is nothing short of divisive; either, it is the saviour of a corrupt and ignoble sport, or it is the very sort of entity that poisons the artistic concept of punching another person into a state of unconsciousness.
Wherever one’s opinion lies on this spectrum, there is no doubt that Chris Billam-Smith (22-2) versus Ryan Rozicki (21-2-1) at Bournemouth International Centre was an exciting prospect - one that expanded the Zuffa corporation into foreign territory, via their partnership with Sky Sports, and put two of The Ring Magazine’s ten active cruiserweights together. All of this, of course, under the same promotional house as The Ring Magazine Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (30-0). An alluring prospect, one that delivered in absolute violence.
Both men stand and both men bang. It was this identical brand of pugilism that produced quite the contest, irregardless of the circumstances that surrounded their presence. Only Billam-Smith, however, stands as the supreme candidate for Zuffa’s elite leader of the division in Jai Opetaia, after delivering enough punishment upon ‘The Bruiser’ to win via retirement by the seventh of a fight that was nothing short of devastating.
Chris Billam-Smith Vs. Ryan Rozicki
Chris Billam-Smith and Ryan Rozicki were the perfect duo in the same way that Arturo Gatti (40-9) and Micky Ward (38-13) were in their quintessential trilogy of contests; they throw, they punch and their durability means that their consideration of defence, movement and motion are often rather low. The result was a near perfect seven stanzas of action in the cruiserweight division, with Billam-Smith brutalising Rozicki into a corner retirement, after onslaught upon onslaught from the Canadian.
Both were wounded and both were hurt, delivering intense waves of punishment, even in the initial stages. Rozicki was a fast start, coming close and throwing shots everywhere - even those behind the head, in pursuit of a stoppage. It was the use of the head and the elbows, however, that caught the ire of Mark Bates. Rather early into their contest, Rozicki was given a warning, which escalated into a point deduction by the second. The Canadian was more alert after that, but never slowed in momentum.
Billam-Smith’s shots were clearly the stronger of the two and the punishment was more evident on Rozicki’s visage, especially when two notable cuts became sources for Billam-Smith to attack with hooks. Rozicki pushed Billam-Smith to the ropes frequently, but this gave Billam-Smith the ability to catch Rozicki with far more ease. The Shane McGuigan fighter fought with more quality than the rushing Rozicki, who was absorbing shots to the head without any protection more often than not. Throughout it all, Rozicki kept his moniker of ‘The Bruiser’ alive, refusing to relent. Rozicki fought through the damage and gave Billam-Smith some punishment, as both were exhausted. Both were truly invincible.
It was only the merciful call of Shaun George that prevented Rozicki from sustaining further damage, as he called it prior to the eighth. Chris Billam-Smith won, remaining undefeated in the territory of Bournemouth. Certainly, it was a spectacle of grand proportions and one that should be applauded, despite the platform.
Jack Massey Vs. Chevon Clarke
Jai Opetaia. Chris Billam-Smith. Ryan Rozicki.
These are far from the only men competing in Zuffa’s quality collective of cruiserweights. In the supporting feature, two of the nations’ known operators fought over seven, as the previous EBU European Cruiserweight belt-holder Jack Massey (23-4) and previous BBBofC British Cruiserweight titleist Chevon ‘C4’ Clarke (12-2) put on another attritional conflict at 200lbs.
Both are known for their limitations, which manifested an interesting contest as a result. It was always close in contact and both hit with serious menace. Massey - slightly taller and more full at the weight - came through as the greater threat in these few stanzas, as a clean punch put Clarke on the canvas in the fourth. Clarke was shaken and hurt, but survived to the end.
Eventually, Massey’s complacency became a burden, as the prior Team GB athlete pushed through and hurt Massey. Bob Williams, the man who gave Clarke plenty of recovery time, gave Massey few instances to recover and waved it off at 1:24 of the seventh. Their fascinating venture had been won by Clarke, whose post-fight interview was also an engaging watch. On Instagram, ‘Bulletproof’ Brandon Glanton (21-4) called for a contest with Clarke and that would be the sort of fight that gives the Zuffa brand another classic cruiserweight war.
Lee Cutler Vs. Aaron Sutton
An exciting Bournemouth native, belonging to the McGuigan Gym.
Whilst this description is befitting of Chris Billam-Smith, it is also an apt way of describing ‘Chaos’ Lee Cutler (16-2), the prior holder of the BBBofC Southern Area, English and WBC International Silver Super-Welterweight titles. This has been evident throughout his three prior contests, the last of which resulting in a loss via technical decision against the also exciting Sam ‘The Savage’ Eggington (36-10). Of course, with Eggington retired, it is far from possible for Cutler to avenge that loss.
Rather, the frustration of that loss and the accompanying layoff was taken out on previous BBBofC Southern Area Middleweight title-holder Aaron Sutton (19-3), who lost via unfortunate circumstances after three fairly equal durations. Sutton - notorious for being rather light-punching - fought with more finesse, whilst Cutler threw with intention; one of these punches hit Sutton’s arm with such ferocity that the shoulder was alarmingly dislocated; of course, Reece Carter called that off, even despite Sutton’s wild protestations. It was dangling at a contorted angle.
It was not the sort of win that Cutler sought, but it was still a victory, nevertheless. The short nature of the contest should also see Cutler reappear on another product rather soon. In the 160lbs division, there are also some interesting prospects for the native of Bournemouth.
Harvey Dykes Vs. Ivan Dychko & Zuffa Boxing 07 Undercard
This was quite the unexpected contest, in the heavyweight leagues.
After all, Ivan Dychko (16-1) of Kazakhstan is a man who has recorded medal winning performances in multiple Olympic Games, whilst Harvey Dykes (7-1-1) is a national tier fighter, whose major appearance prior to this was a draw against the Ukrainian Dorin Krasmaru (6-0-1) at the York Hall. Certainly, they are products of distinctly different disciplines. In their collision over ten, it was apparent that these men should have remained in their unique disciplines, as their contest was poor in quality - which is a charitable description of their turgid competition.
Dychko kept tall and lengthy, controlling the contest with a far more dominant lead hand, whilst Dykes kept pushing for a more interesting pace, to no avail. At 6’9” and a slim build, Dychko possessed all of the positive attributes to remain negative, as Dykes’ 6’3” and 240lbs was more suited to fatigue. Nevertheless, Dykes requires far more credit for being the active participant, whilst Dychko fought in the sort of way that should be seen as antithetical to Zuffa’s philosophy. Although, one doubts that Zuffa are particularly staunch in their own views, given their upcoming IBF World Middleweight title contest.
After their contest, the broadcast cut to Dykes’ face, drenched with sweat and snot, which was a silent summary of the contest at large. Mark Bates and Marcus McDonnell both saw the bout 97-92 for Dychko, whilst Reece Carter gave it 95-94 for Dykes, likely on account of his activity and positive approach. Nevertheless, it was Ivan Dychko that left with the victory - on paper.
Their undercard featured some of the nations’ finest prospects and exciting figures. Stephen McKenna (15-1), ‘The Hitman’ who lost in his last appearance to Lee Cutler in a thoroughly entertaining and close-quarters contest, fits into the latter category.
After two high-octane WBC International Silver Super-Welterweight title contests with Cutler and the brash Joe Laws (15-4), McKenna traded in the sanctioning bodies and their obscure trinkets for a distance of eight against ‘The Comeback Kid’ Casey James Streeter (15-3-2), the USA New England Middleweight title-holder who gave plenty of effort - but not enough to deter McKenna from providing a deliberate and definitive finish in the opening stretch.
Streeter threw fast pitter-patter combinations, whilst McKenna threw hellacious shots that hurt the visitor an awful lot. After all, Streeter was not the sort of opponent that has previously given McKenna any major problems; rather, McKenna bullied Streeter over their short duration with one another. At the least, McKenna is more likely to reappear sooner, rather than later. Easily, ‘The Hitman’ is in a position to feature on Zuffa Boxing 10 alongside his brother, Aaron McKenna (20-0) at Dublin’s 3Arena.
Scotland’s ‘Tricky’ Sam Hickey (5-0) is a prospect with genuine potential in the domestic scene at 160lbs, given his accolades in the amateur code of the sport and the investment from Team GB performance coach and renowned figure Robert McCracken. Above all, Hickey has expressed to The Ring Magazine that his progression is one that should be rapid and prompt.
Todd Tompkins (4-1) brought an unbeaten record to the ledger and fought with genuine input, unlike the opponents of those listed below. Although, Hickey is something absolutely special. It was punch selection, timing and accuracy that gave Hickey the finish of the night, immediately putting Tompkins on the floor in a way that was rather concerning - furthered by the late response of medical officials. However, Tompkins was - thankfully - not left unconscious. Either way, it was a spectacle of a stoppage.
This is the sort of win that Hickey required; there is no doubt that Hickey receives the advanced progression that he previously mentioned, although, this is dependant of the approach of the Zuffa promotional company and their potential conflict with Boxxer.
Another prospect with potential is Leon Hughes (5-0), another one with four wins and zero losses, operating at light-heavyweight. Maree Promotions’ puncher went in with Mario Vergiev (8-6) of Bulgaria, Hughes’ first opponent with a positive win loss ratio. However, the opposition of those eight wins is rather poor in quality. That was clear, as Hughes’ left-hook was consistent and potent in dispatching Vergiev, who was spared further punishment in only two. Again, it was quite the mismatch, but Hughes appears quite the prospect in a weight division that possesses plenty of talent from the United Kingdom.
Lastly, Alex ‘The Villain’ Macmillan (3-0) also made an appearance on the preliminary portion of this particular broadcast, as the product of Morecambe contended against Leo Fanthome (7-2) over Macmillan’s initial distance of six. Fanthome’s positive ratio told a story of deception, as both of his losses prior to this against known journeymen. The disparity was evident throughout their distance of two, as Macmillan put the lacklustre Fanthome down three times, resulting in the intervention of Amy Pu prior to the conclusion of the second. Macmillan is an exciting addition to the domestic leagues at welterweight, especially in the North.
Conclusion - The Expansion of Zuffa and the Unknown
This was a night that saw many changes to the Zuffa concept; it saw an expansion out of their Meta Apex, which was a positive for their atmosphere, given the support for Billam-Smith and Cutler. However, the sterile nature of their branding was maintained, with no personality or individuality present in the environment and the fighters themselves, who wore cheap apparel in appearance.
Of course, it was also noticeable that - despite their obnoxious repetition of being a promotion that only stage fair contests - there were some clear disparities between their fighters. Dychko Vs. Dykes, McKenna Vs. Streeter and Hughes Vs. Vergiev were all the sort of mismatch contests that suit the contemporary model of the sport. Perhaps Zuffa Boxing are not as revolutionary as they claim to be - with Conor Benn’s (25-1) certainty of a WBC World Welterweight title challenge and the McKenna Vs. Oliha IBF World Middleweight title contest in Dublin, their stance has certainly changed, even if they have not verbally broadcast this to the world.
This matchmaking is likely to remain on that Dublin card, too. McKenna Vs. Oliha is a great contest, whilst Callum Walsh (16-0) shares the ring with Tyler Denny (21-4-3), a man who previously lost to George Liddard (14-0) in their BBBofC British Middleweight title fight. Again, a sign of an altogether different Zuffa.
As the promotion reach their tenth outing, it is important to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of this experiment. After all, their contests have been mostly competitive, fair ventures and their platform has given the spotlight to exciting prospects, like Sam Hickey and Uzbekistan’s Bakhmatullo Boymatov (1-0). However, their ventures are also devoid of individuality and their efforts appear as more of a vanity project for Dana White and Turki Alalshikh than a genuine response to the sanctioning bodies.
This was certainly a point of transition, in many ways.
Fight of the Night - Chris Billam-Smith Vs. Ryan Rozicki
Stoppage of the Night - Sam Hickey TKO2 Todd Tompkins
Performance of the Night - Chevon Clarke
Would've loved for Rozicki to finish the 8th round at least. I felt he was building up to something with the body shots he was landing.
However, good call by his corner to allow him heal up and fight another day.