Billam-Smith Stops Rozicki

In Explosive Zuffa Boxing UK Debut!

By: Ian Webb

June 6th, Bournemouth International Centre, Dorset, Bournemouth, United Kingdom: In the main event of Zuffa Boxing's inaugural UK event, Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom, cruiserweight, Chris "The Gentleman" Billam-Smith defeated Hamilton, Ontario, Canada’s, Ryan "The Bruiser" Rozicki by seventh-round retirement.

Rozicki started aggressively, forcing Billam-Smith to the ropes with pressure and looping power shots, cutting the champion's left eye in round one and earning a point deduction in round two for head usage. Billam-Smith responded with counter left hooks and right hands, hurting Rozicki in round three; after absorbing continued punishment, Rozicki's corner stopped the brutal fight before the bell sounding round eight. Billam-Smith now two victories from a November 2024 twelve round unanimous decision WBO title challenge loss to Gilberto Ramirez moves to 22-2, 14Ko’s.Rozicki entering unbeaten since an October 2021 twelve round heavyweight points loss to Oscar Rivas slips to 21-2-1, 20Ko’s.

In the cruiserweight co-feature, Gravesend, Kent, UK’s, Cheavon “C4” Clarke staged an extraordinary comeback, seventh round TKO stoppage of Marple, Cheshire's, Jack "One Smack" Massey.

In the early rounds Massey opened aggressively, landing heavy power shots that put Clarke under immediate pressure cutting Clarke's left eye in round one.

"One Smack" using his pressure and looping power punches to keep Clarke on the ropes and absorb significant damage dominance peaked when he knocked Clarke down twice in round four with powerful shots.

Clarke making it upright and showing incredible fortitude and resilience recovered and dominated rounds five and six, hurting Massey and dropping him with a “C4” right hand in round seven securing the win with an immediate follow-up volley of undefended power shots forcing referee Bob Williams to stop it at 1:24 of round seven. The scores at the time of the stoppage called 58-54, 59-53, 58-54 all favoring Massey. Clarke, entering 1-2 in his last three pounds his way to 12-2, 9Ko’s. Massey stopped in two of his last three bouts falls to 23-4, 13Ko’s

In other action: Bournemouth, Dorset, UK, middleweight, Lee "Chaos" Cutler (16-2, 8 KOs) defeated Bristol, Gloucestershire’s, Aaron "Gertlush" Sutton (19-3, 3 KOs) by TKO at 0:31 of round three when a right-hand dislocated Sutton's shoulder, forcing him to leave the ring for medical treatment.

Los Angeles-based Irish middleweight, Stephen "The Hitman" McKenna (16-1, 15 KOs) made a swift return to winning ways, stopping Portland, Maine's, Casey "The Comeback Kid" Streeter (15-4-2, 6 KOs) by TKO at 1:04 of round one after catching him with a vicious left hook 30 seconds in, followed by a flurry that pinned Streeter against the ropes.

Dundee, Scotland's, Sam "Tricky" Hickey (5-0, 2 KOs) defeated Birmingham, West Midland's, Todd Tompkins by KO at 1:22 of round two in their six-round middleweight contest, controlling the opener behind the jab before closing with counter rights.

In a ten round heavyweight bout, Kazakhstan's, 6’9”, a two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist, Ivan Dychko (16-1, 15 KOs), defeated Newhaven, Sussex, southpaw, Harvey Dykes (7-1-1, 14 KOs) by way of a 94-95, 97-92, 97-92 split decision with scorecards of. Dychko dropped Dykes in round one and worked effectively behind his jab and body shots throughout the 10-round contest.

Preston, Lancashire's, 21-year-old, Leon Hughes (4-0, 3 KOs) stopped Sofia, Bulgaria's, Mario Vergiev (8-5, 5 KOs) by TKO at 0:52 of round three in their light heavyweight bout.

Morecambe, Lancashire's 22-year-old, welterweight, Alex MacMillan (4-0, 3 KOs) dropped Redditch, Worcestershire's 27-year-old, Leo Fanthome (7-3, 1 KO) twice in round one and once in round forcing referee Amy Pu to call it at 1:44 of round two.

Dana White continues to deliver on his vision to bring Zuffa Boxing to the global stage, and the historic UK launch in Bournemouth proves the promise was worth every ounce of effort. This wasn't just Zuffa Boxing's first event in the United Kingdom – it was a flawless debut that showcased elite boxing talent, world-class production, and the competitive depth that defines the sport.

From the main event to the prelims, every bout delivered the drama and quality boxing fans demand. Seven of eight fights ended inside the distance, demonstrating the knockout power and high-level competition that White promised when he launched Zuffa Boxing. This UK launch sets the stage for what's coming next: bigger events, bigger names, and 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, hosting Zuffa Boxing 10. Dana White knows boxing, and Zuffa Boxing's successful UK debut signals the future of professional boxing is about to get even more exciting.

Zuffa Boxing Ever Growing Stable

Heavyweight Division (200+ lbs)

Efe Ajagba - 22-1, 15Ko's
Ivan Dychko - 14-0, 13Ko's
Mihai Nistor - 11-0, 9Ko's
Da'Mazion Vanhouter - 12-0, 9Ko's
Raphael Murphy - 18-2, 14Ko's
Charles Martin - 29-5-1, 26Ko's

Cruiserweight Division (200 lbs)

Jai Opetaia - 29-0, 23Ko's
Chris Billam-Smith - 21-2, 13Ko's
Ryan Rozicki - 21-1-1, 20Ko's
Brandon Glanton - 21-5, 18Ko's
Ahmed Elbiali - 23-1, 18Ko's
Jamar Talley - 7-0, 6Ko's

Light Heavyweight Division (175 lbs)

Oleksandr Gvozdyk - 20-2, 16Ko's
Umar Dzambekov - 9-0, 6Ko's
Raphael Monny - 10-0, 3Ko's
Suray Mahmutovic - 8-2-1, 6Ko's
Alarenz Reynolds - 9-2, 6Ko's
Rakhmatullo Boymatov - 1-0, 0Ko's

Edgar Berlanga - 23-2, 18Ko's

Middleweight Division (160 lbs)

Shane Mosley Jr. - 23-5, 13Ko's
Serhii Bohachuk - 27-4, 24Ko's
Misael Rodriguez - 17-0, 8Ko's
Andreas Katzourakis - 16-1, 11Ko's
Austin DeAnda - 15-2, 10Ko's
Leonardo Ruiz - 14-0, 9Ko's
Vito Mielnicki Jr. - 21-2, 14Ko's

Welterweight Division (147 lbs)

Conor Benn - 24-1, 14Ko's
Callum Walsh - 12-0, 9Ko's
Julian Rodriguez - 26-1, 15Ko's
James Perella - 21-1, 15Ko's
Jalil Hackett - 9-0, 7Ko's
Breyon Gorham - 23-0, 17Ko's
Radzhab Butaev - 16-1, 13Ko's
Vlad Panin - 19-1, 10Ko's
Adrian Serrano - 7-0-1, 4Ko's
Kevin Boakye - 8-0, 5Ko's

Lightweight Division (135 lbs)

Jose Valenzuela - 14-2, 9Ko's
Edwin De Los Santos - 17-2, 15Ko's
Richardson Hitchins - 20-0, 8Ko's
Andres Cortes - 23-0, 12Ko's
Eridson Garcia - 19-2, 12Ko's
Diego Torres - 18-1, 17Ko's
Mark Magsayo - 29-2, 19Ko's
Feargal McCrory - 17-1, 9Ko's
Justin Viloria - 13-0, 8Ko's
Ivan Ortiz - 12-1-2, 9Ko's
Jesus Saracho - 14-2-1, 11Ko's
Cain Sandoval - 13-1, 11Ko's
Jaybrio Pe Benito - 8-0, 6Ko's
Abel Mejia - 10-1, 7Ko's
Robert Meriwether III - 6-0, 3Ko's
Troy Nash - 5-0, 2Ko's
Jaycob Ramos - 4-1, 2Ko's
Cesar Correa - 6-1, 3Ko's

Featherweight Division (126 lbs)

Adan Palma - 9-0, 5Ko's
Onathan Rojas - 11-2-1, 7Ko's
Leonardo Padilla - 23-6, 16Ko's

Bantamweight Division (118 lbs)

Floyd Diaz - 12-0, 3Ko's
Emiliano Cardenas - 11-0, 4Ko's
Alexis Alvarado - 9-2-1, 5Ko's
Marcus Harris - 16-2, 11Ko's
Max Ornelas - 15-2-1, 5Ko's
Guillermo Gutierrez - 10-2, 4Ko's

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Zuffa Boxing, the joint venture between Dana White, TKO Group and Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, is making major waves in the professional boxing industry yet again.

Officially launched in January 2026, the new promotion seeks to introduce a centralized, UFC-style league model featuring a single world title and unified internal rankings. Their partnership with Turki Alalshikh, along with a distribution deal with Paramount+, is shifting the sport’s power dynamic.

The company is headquartered in Las Vegas and aspires to revolutionize the boxing landscape by applying a centralized, promoter-driven model similar to the UFC’s approach, including single belts and unified matchmaking for major titles. White first floated the Zuffa Boxing idea following the 2017 Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather crossover event, citing the need to modernize and streamline boxing promotions, but it wasn’t until June 2025 that the brand was officially launched through high-profile partnerships and funding from Saudi Arabia.

The inaugural Zuffa Boxing event is the blockbuster Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford superfight, set for September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and streaming globally on Netflix, marking a first for a major boxing match of this scale. The promotion is expected to stage 12 events annually for five years, totaling 60 shows, with four of these billed as “megafights” similar to the Canelo-Crawford clash. Media rights negotiations are ongoing, with Paramount Plus as the leading contender for a broadcast deal in the U.S., while select events may continue behind pay-per-view, but the majority could stream widely and even air on CBS. Zuffa Boxing has already organized a prospect-filled card before its first main event, showcasing its commitment to developing new talent alongside marquee matchups.

Through its social media presence and engagement, Zuffa Boxing has signaled a fully modern approach to promotion, with global streaming, high-profile partnerships, and a strong connection to UFC infrastructure and talent. This new venture represents one of the most ambitious attempts yet to reshape professional boxing, bringing together some of combat sports’ biggest players and promising regular major events, innovative matchmaking, and a unified promotional vision.