Billam-Smith came in at 200 pounds (90.7 kg), while Rozicki matched him at 200 pounds (90.7 kg) for the 10-round main event. The fight headlines Zuffa Boxing’s first-ever UK event and marks Billam-Smith’s debut under his new multi-fight agreement with the promotion.
The former WBO cruiserweight champion will be fighting in front of his hometown fans, but Rozicki has made it clear he believes the environment will favor the local fighter.
“Of course, there’s a disadvantage. I’m going to be up against Chris. I’m going to be up against the referee, the judges, the officials, and those doctors. They’ll be looking for any reason to stop the fight so that he can get the win. I already know that,” Rozicki told FightHype.
Asked how he plans to avoid leaving the result in the hands of the officials, Rozicki offered a brief answer.
“With my hands.”
The Canadian enters the fight with a 21-1-1 record and 20 knockouts, giving him one of the highest stoppage rates in the division. Billam-Smith, 21-2 with 13 knockouts, is looking to move back toward world title contention following his reign as WBO champion.
Rozicki also reflected on the lone blemish on his record, admitting he still believes he should have lost his first fight against Emiliano Peralta.
“That should have been a loss on my record. I still say that to this day. The first one was his, and that was the mistake I made,” Rozicki said. “I underestimated him going in.”
He explained that his attention had already shifted toward bigger opportunities before that fight.
“I was looking straight at the WBC world title. I was thinking, ‘I’m going to knock this guy out in the first round.’ That’s what I did. I looked past him.”
The co-main event also cleared the scales without issue. Jack Massey weighed 200 pounds (90.7 kg), while Chev Clarke came in at 199.5 pounds (90.5 kg) for their cruiserweight contest.
Elsewhere on the card, Lee Cutler and Aaron Sutton both weighed 163 pounds (73.9 kg), Stevie McKenna came in at 160 pounds (72.6 kg) against Casey Streeter at 159 pounds (72.1 kg), and Sam Hickey and Todd Tompkins each weighed 163 pounds (73.9 kg).
In the heavyweight bout, Harvey Dykes weighed 270 pounds (122.5 kg) and Ivan Dychko came in at 243 pounds (110.2 kg).
All fighters successfully made weight, leaving Friday night’s Bournemouth card set to proceed as scheduled. For Rozicki, the objective is clear. He does not expect any favors and intends to leave no room for debate.
