Ryan Rozicki vs Zamig Atakishiyev Preview June 10th, 2023
Ryan Rozicki of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada steps into the ring against Zamig Atakishiyev of Azerbaijan in a 10-round heavyweight contest this Saturday, June 10th. The fight from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada can be seen live in America and the UK on FITE tv. Rozicki last fought in February when he stopped Arturs Gorlovs in the third round while Atakishiyev was last in the ring in March when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Alexis Barriere. Rozicki, a cruiserweight, was supposed to fight European champion Jean Jacques Olivier this weekend but he pulled out and Atakishiyev stepped in as a late replacement. The fight will now be fought in the heavyweight division with a reported catch weight of 216 lbs.
Rozicki vs Atakishiyev Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Zamig Atakishiyev +700
- Ryan Rozicki -1250
My Pick
Rozicki is now 28 years old and carries around an impressive record of 17-1 with 16 Ko’s. He obviously has a heavy punch as he’s stopped 16 of his 18 opponents so far with 15 of them being halted in the first three rounds. He’s boxed just 58 rounds since turning pro in 2016 after a short amateur career but has more or less taken on domestic-level opposition only in Canada. His biggest fight though was for the inaugural Bridgerweight title in October, 2021 when he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Oscar Rivas for his lone pro defeat.
The only other time Rozicki went the distance was in May of last year when he was awarded a 10-round split decision over Yamil Peralta for the vacant WBC International Cruiserweight Belt. However, the result was appealed by Peralta’s team and a WBC panel reviewed the fight and ruled the title still vacant as a no contest as all three of the judges were from Canada and some hometown cooking may have been involved.
Rozicki won the vacant NABA Cruiserweight Title in 2018 by stopping Abokan Bopke in the first round and captured the vacant WBC International Silver Cruiserweight Belt by halting Shawn Miller in the third round a year later. He also took the NABA Cruiserweight Belt in 2021 when he stopped Sylvera Louis in the sixth round. Unfortunately there’s no reach information for Rozicki but he’s listed as 6-feet-2-inches tall.
The 36-year-old Atakishiyev, reportedly resides in Canada as well and has a mark of 8-1-1 with 6 Ko’s and 38 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2016. Before that he has a brief amateur career and also dabbled in bare-knuckle fighting and kick-boxing. He stands 6-feet-1-inch tall and also has an unlisted reach, so gives up an inch in height to Rozicki.
As far as power is concerned, Atakishiyev also carries some weight in his punches as his current knockout ratio clocks in at 60 per cent with his last five wins coming by stoppage. His lone defeat came to Alexis Barriere in his last outing and he also has a draw on his record which was a six-round affair with German Skobenko in 2017. Atakishiyev has never gone more than eight rounds as a pro and hasn’t taken on any legitimate contenders as of yet so will be taking a small leap up in class this weekend.
Prediction…
This is basically a fight between to boxers who probably won’t go on to achieve success as the world level but are pretty good domestically, even though Rozicki is Canadian and Atakishiyev hails from Azerbaijan. This is likely to come down to power and chins and how well Rozicki can handle the extra weight if he decides to put some on for this fight. This won’t be fancy by any means and will probably come down to whoever has the best chin. It could be a rock-em sock-em battle with Rozicki earning a hard-fought win.
Rozicki is younger and has more power.
Play: Rozicki -1250 @ BetOnline.ag
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Ryan Rozicki betting • Zamig Atakishiyev betting