WBC cruiserweight titlist Noel Mikaelyan (27-2, 12 knockouts) will defend his title for the first time against mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) on Saturday, September 14th at Casino Miami Jai-alai, Don King Promotions announced on Monday.
The fight originally supposed to take place on June 7, on the Adrien Broner-Blair Cobb undercard. When Mikaelyan, The Ring’s No. 3 rated cruiserweight, suffered a cut in training, the fight was postponed. The fight will be promoted by Don King.
The 33-year-old Armenian won the WBC title by knocking out Ilunga Junior Makabu at 1:00 of the third round. This will be Rozicki’s first attempt at a world title. The only loss to the 29-year-old Rozicki’s resume was a 10-round decision loss to heavyweight Oscar Rivas in October 2021. He has since won seven-straight fights, with six victories coming through stoppage.
The fight was announced on Don King’s social media outlets at 4:30.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
