Quebec was able to add a new world champion to its long list: Oscar Rivas. He won the WBC super-light-heavyweight title with a victory over tough Ryan Rozicki on Friday night at Olympia.
“I am proud of myself,” said the new world champion. Everyone knows the ups and downs that I have experienced due to injuries.
“Ever since I started my professional career, I wanted that famous WBC green belt. This is the work of the past 11 years. I am happy to say that I am the first champion in this new category. ”
His trainer Marc Ramsay was also very happy with this conquest. For him, it is a fifth world champion who comes from his gymnasium.
“Oscar was willing to foot the bill to become the first super-light-heavyweight champion,” he said. It’s something really fun for him, but also for the whole team. ”
A banged up hand
It was the little details that made the difference in Rivas’ victory. After a convincing start, the adopted Quebecer found that Rozicki was not going to give him the belt on a silver platter.
“It was tough and we expected this type of fight,” said Rivas. I expected to push the limit, but I had prepared well in the gym with my team.
“Rozicki is always in your face. After the third round, I should have worked more around my jab. ”
His best attacks of the match came with his jab. However, he did not do so regularly. And we now know why.
Rivas injured his left hand during the third round. Besides, he had a visible bump in this part of the body.
“We don’t know if it’s broken,” Ramsay said. We will have to do exams in the next few days to find out the extent of his injury. After that, Oscar will have a full month’s rest. ”
Her colt coped with the pain for the remainder of the fight. Due to pressure from Rozicki, he had to work at close range for most of the fight.
“You also have to negotiate with what the adversary imposes on you,” explained Ramsay. On the other hand, to just jabs and move around, we would have lost the respect of our opponent.
“From the fourth round, we saw that Oscar was using his jab less. On the other hand, by working in close combat, we saw Rozicki boxing more on his heels. He was developing less power. ”
Rozicki in the hospital
Ryan Rozicki was unable to meet with the Montreal media because he was taken to hospital as a preventive measure after the fight.
The Nova Scotian ended the fight with cuts above each eye. He took a lot of punches from Rivas even though he kept his hands close to his face.
Its promoter Dan Otter was proud of his colt who gained a lot of credibility on the international stage with his performance.
“Ryan learned a lot as he faced a guy bigger and stronger than him,” he said. Several people thought he was only a six-round boxer, but he confused the skeptics.
“The bets were 40 to 1 for a fight that ended with a decision. All credit goes to Ryan. ”
Barring any surprise, Rozicki will return to the light-heavyweight (200 lbs) category for his next bout which is slated to be staged in the early months of 2022 in Nova Scotia.
Emotion in the corner
Marc Ramsay had promised Oscar Rivas to concentrate on the technical aspect during the fight. He wanted to avoid falling into overly emotional speeches. However, this promise lasted only three rounds.
Beginning with the fourth assault, the coach pulled out all his stuff to keep his boxer focused on his goal.
“I told him he wasn’t boxing tonight (Friday),” Ramsay said. He was paying the price of his children’s entry into Canada. ”
Words that ignited Rivas. He still has two children who live in Colombia. He would like them to come live with him by the end of the year.
Before the last round, the coach went to get his boxer deep in his guts.
“I told him he had worked his whole life for the last three minutes. Everything he had done since he was 11 was on the line. I wanted him to end the right way because we knew Rozicki was coming. Every round I had to hang it up like this. “
Technically, the game plan was divided into several portions.
“Oscar didn’t do a 12-round fight,” Ramsay said. He did 12 small fights in a round. He does it like a real veteran.
“When a round went less well, it wasn’t panic when he came back to the corner. He returned to the next one with character. ”
Duel with Romanov
Oscar Rivas has barely won his belt when he already knows the identity of his next opponent. This is the Russian Evgeny Romanov.
Romanov (16-0, 11 KOs) became the mandatory contender in the super-light-heavyweight category after defeating compatriot Dmitry Kudryashov (24-5, 23 KOs) by unanimous decision last May.
“We’re still going to look at all the options,” said promoter Yvon Michel. We received an offer for a heavyweight fight in the last few months.
“We’re going to choose the best path for him. We will do everything to ensure that his fight is in Quebec. ”