Rivas Wins Inaugural WBC Bridgerweight Title Over Nova Scotia’s Rozicki in Montreal Slugfest
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Ontario, Canada (October 23rd, 2021)– Not since Jack Munroe challenged James “The Boilermaker” Jeffries 117 years ago for the world heavyweight title at Mechanic’s Pavilion in San Francisco in 1904 has a Nova Scotia heavyweight such as Ryan Rozicki fought for a world title. Jeffries was not wearing hand bandages, a key advantage when he dropped Munroe with a left hook to the jaw in the second round, eventually stopping him at 0:45 of the second round. Munroe also lost a six-round newspaper decision to Jack Johnson in Philadelphia in 1905, although that loss is not counted in his 9-1-4 record between 1901 and 1906. World championship fights with Marvin Hart and Jack Johnson were rumored for Munroe thereafter, but never materialized. Munroe’s last ring appearance was an eighth-round knockout of Alf Allen in 1906, an eight-round bout in which Munro uniquely contracted to knock Allen out within eight rounds or lose the decision!
Munroe’s remote chance of a ring comeback dematerialized over a decade later when he became a war veteran amputee. Munroe enlisted in the Princess Pats of Canada as World War I began. He lost use of his right arm at the battle of Vimy Ridge at Arentieres in France, when a bullet severed the sub-clavicle artery. His right arm eventually had to be amputated. Munro later served as mayor of Elk Lake, Ontario, and was a popular after dinner speaker in Canada, describing his ring battles, wartime exploits, and other life experiences and adventures. Munroe died in Toronto, Canada, in February 1942 during World War II, and is largely forgotten by ring historians, who like most think of Nova Scotia for Nova salmon lox fish from the Atlantic Ocean more than they do for boxing.
In the inaugural world title bout of the new 224 pounds World Boxing Council Bridgerweight division, Oscar Rivas outslugged previously undefeated Ryan Rozicki to win the new World Boxing Council Bridgerweight championship, in the main event of a five-bout card at L’Olympia Theatre in Montreal, Canada, on Friday, October 22, 2021. All six bouts on the card ended in clear decisions.
Rivas, 28-1 with 19 knockouts, age 34, Montreal, Quebec, Canada by way of Cali, Columbia, is now the new world champion of a professional boxing division which does not yet exist in the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO, and other boxing groups. The somewhat active IBA still has a super cruiserweight division, as did the now defunct IBC, but these groups, in their alternative midrange title, were closer to the 190 to 195 going up to 210-pound range, not as high as Bridgerweight goes. Rozicki, now 13-1 with 13 knockouts, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, took the bout with three weeks of notice after Bryant Jennings refused the 14 days quarantine policy in effect in Canada for unvaccinated individuals entering the country. The Jennings withdrawal from the main event meant a quality world title combatant had to be found within Canada, and Rozicki courageously took the bout.
Rozicki, at 26, the NABA-Canadian Cruiserweight champion, entered this bout with several major flaws. First, he lacked the pro experience of Rivas. Second, he lacked the preparation time for the bout. Third, he had never been in a ten round bout, nor a 12 rounder for a world championship. Fourth, he was a cruiserweight. His advantages were: he was Canadian; he was available; he was in condition; he had the confidence to take the bout and believe he could win; he had 13 knockouts in 13 pro bouts coming in as a hard hitter; he stood 6’2″ to Rivas” 6’1″ and had significant reach advantage, though Rivas appeared bigger in size. Since neither Rivas, Rozicki nor anybody else had fought in a Bridgerweight world title bout before, so the odds were even for both combatants in the new weight class.
The chess match for the world title in the new division emerged as a center of the ring tactical war. Both Rivas and Rozicki had tight forearms up defenses. Rozicki took a mentality of knock Rivas out or be knocked out. Rivas was not tempted to be drawn into a George foreman type of brawl. Instead, both men stayed busy taking turns launching their thunder shots. Rivas appeared to be of bigger size, and outweighed Rozicki by 19 pounds. Rozicki appeared a tattooed warrior of ominous presence. Rozicki stood his ground, taking a few steps forward on occasion, but never as backward step. Rozicki appeared to be saving a bit for the later rounds, but still gave as much as he took.
Rozicki is a tough warrior, mixing it with Rivas in a possible opportunity of a lifetime. The long term interpretation of the new Bridgerweight division remains unknown. Before this bout began, the bookies gave Rivas 1200 dollars upon the betting line, which fell to 400 dollars up before the bout began. It was hard to predict or evaluate Rozicki, who was basically an unbeaten but unknown commodity, against Rivas, who lost a decision to Dillian Whyte at heavyweight but remained the favorite.
Both fighters went head to head in tight. Rivas exhibited good bodywork. Rozicki used inside combinations and hooks to good advantage. In the final ten seconds of the first round, Rivas handed some pinpoint headshots, leaving Rozicki on wobbly legs, barely saved by the bell.
As the bout progressed, Rozicki kept the bout tight inside head to head, crowding Rivas with short shots. Rivas shortened his shots as well, taking his game into a counterpunch war. Rozicki continued working with small body shots inside with some success, with Rivas trying to counter with right hands over the top. Both men did their best, and there was little holding. Rozicki as a brawler puncher was forced to stand inside, absorb punishment, and land some good left hooks and stronger shots to wear Rivas down.
Rozicki had good body head work in the middle rounds, slipping some shots, and forced Rivas to fight his style inside war, though Rivas did outwork Rozicki overall. Rozicki’s plan was to somehow outslug Rivas, the bigger man. That did not happen overall, as previously stated, but it also meant fighting a war at such close quarters that Rivas could outpoint him but not do much else. Rozicki and Rivas forced each other to grind it out tit for tat at close quarters, and in the long run neither fighter gave the other one much space to land anything nuclear from the second round on.
The brutal inside war became a war of attrition. With this style inside war, both men had to be careful not to punch themselves out. Both men were fighting with heart. Rozicki began to take more chances, throwing the right hand with evil intent. Beyond a certain point, the bout wound up in a center of the ring telephone booth.
Rozicki, a self-proclaimed Jack Dempsey, had the power with his left hooks and right hands to match “The Manessa Mauler”, fought at 188 to 192 pounds. Rozicki was not able to get separate distance from Rivas to effectuate the sort of lethal power shots Dempsey was famous for with his 43 knockouts between 1914 and 1927.
As the bout progressed, the greater issue became the loss of stamina by Rivas, who was breathing heavily. Both men had stopped Sylvera Louis in their previous fights in 2021. Rivas still had to lose weight to reach Bridgerweight from heavyweight, and making weight could have taken something out of Rivas’ storm. Neither combatant came into this bout looking for a decision. With 32 knockouts in the 42 pro bouts between them, the plan was not expected to be a toe-to-toe battle forehead to forehead, glove to glove in center ring. It evolved that way brutally on the inside, a quiet storm with few noise from Canadian spectators.
Rivas was the bigger man, and few experts expected this bout to still be on the table after a few rounds. Both fighters continued landing short power shots and combos on the inside down the stretch. Beyond a certain point, Rivas, who had to make weight below his usual 234 to 244 pounds heavyweight range, wound up in a life and death battle with a well-conditioned cruiserweight power puncher, and couldn’t get rid of him. Rozicki did not allow Rivas to get any space between them in the world championship chess match. Although Rivas was the better fighter, and landed more, he could not catch Rozicki with anything of consequence.
Rozicki ultimately executed the perfect game plan, trying to wear Rivas down on the inside in a world title bout. The question arose as to whether or not Rivas could maintain stamina in a world title bout again at this weight over 12 rounds against a higher-level opponent. Now that the Bridgerweight division is wide open, and money will surface, talented cruiserweights coming up, and overblown heavyweights coming down, will definitely be in the house to show Rivas a higher level game than Rozicki did. If Rozicki is any indicator, the new Bridgerweight division could have some serious title competitors in 2022 if Rivas sticks around. For sure, Bryant Jennings may still return to get his shot against Rivas, a whole different level of opponent.
In many respects, Rivas versus Rozicki played out a lot like Jack Dempsey versus Gene Tunney locked on the inside, or Joe Louis versus Billy Conn I, in terms of the quality of inside fighting rounds. This was an old school battle fought in the center ring, highly difficult to score. In this back and forth battle, Rivas tried taking a step back in the final two rounds to create distance range, creating wrestling tangles as Rozicki sought to avoid giving Rivas distance range, at one point throwing Rivas to the canvas in round 12 to get him off.
Speculating on the future of the Bridgerweight division, one needs to go back into the history of the cruiserweight division and the World Boxing Council. Mate Parlov and Marvin Camel fought to a 15 round draw in December 1979 in Croatia for the new vacant WBC cruiserweight title. Ossie Ocasio outpointed Robbie Williams over 15 rounds in February 1982 for the inaugural vacant WBA World Cruiserweight title in South Africa. Glenn McCrory outpointed Patrick Lumumba over 12 rounds to win the vacant International Boxing Federation World Cruiserweight title in the United Kingdom in 1989. Nigeria’s David Izegwire stopped Henry Milligan in Colorado in the eighth round to win the vacant IBO World Cruiserweight title in December 1993.
The cruiserweight division began in December 1974 in Sydney, Australia, when Steve Aczel stopped Greg McNamara for the vacant Australian Light Heavyweight and vacant Australian Cruiserweight titles. It would be three years before the cruiserweight title in Australia would surface again. Somebody had an idea, and the cruiserweight title evolved between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Hopefully, the evolution of the new Bridgerweight division will be more accelerated as more fighters and organizations have interest in the new title. It’s hard to tell, given the time period of the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, and the relative obscurity of the new Bridgerweight title, which is currently largely unrecognized.
Result: Oscars Rivas Win 12 Ryan Rozicki, Bridgerweights
Rivas wins inaugural vacant World Boxing Council World Bridgerweight title
New weight class 200 to 224 pounds Scoring: 116-11, 115-112, 115-112 for Rivas. Scoring appeared neutral and fair. Rozicki threw Rivas to the canvas in the twelfth round during a clinch, ruled no knockdown by referee Michael Griffin.
Undercard Results at L’Olympia Theatre in Montreal, Canada
Alexis Barriere Win 4 Rafael Rojas, heavyweights. Opening bout on card won by 4-0 Quebec City prospect Barriere wins with scorecards of 40-36, 40-36, 40-36.
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