Lucasz Rozanski claimed the vacant WBC bridgerweight title with a devastating first-round stoppage of Alen Babic in Poland.
Babic and Rozanski promised a collision of unbridled ferocity when they met at the G2A Arena in Rzeszow, the latter’s hometown.
They did just that, though the fight ended even more quickly than expected.
Both men flew out from their corners at the first bell, looking to unload their heaviest punches and it was Rozanski who landed first.
They met head on in the centre of the ring, but Rozanski stung ‘The Savage’ with a right cross.
He barrelled into the Croatian, moving forward even as Babic fired furious punches into his body.
Rozanski, though, was throwing and landing hurtful punches, imposing his physicality from the start. He doubled his left hook, snagging Babic’s chin and shaking him.
Up close again Rozanski’s left hook swept in to Babic’s chin and nearly knocked the Croatian off his feet. The Savage was struggling to get his legs back under him, looking to hold for a moment before trying to throw punches back.
It left him open for a further onslaught and Rozanski knocked him down to the canvas.
Babic rose, determined still. But he could not stem the frenzied salvoes Rozanski slung through.
A right hit him flush and the Pole was pummelling him on the ropes. Babic tried to raise his gloves, tried to block the shots but those punches were flying through and the referee intervened after two minutes and 10 seconds of mayhem.
The G2A Arena erupted as the hometown hero won the vacant WBC bridgerweight title.
Bridgerweight is a weight class created at 224lbs, to fill a gap between cruiserweight and today’s gargantuan heavyweights. The WBC created the division and is the only sanctioning body to recognise it.
It named the division after American schoolboy Bridger Walker, who saved his younger sister from a dog attack in Wyoming in 2020 and subsequently suffered bite wounds himself.
It is a novel championship but it creates opportunities for the winner. The big-name cruiserweights, maybe Richard Riakporhe, perhaps even the Lawrence Okolie vs Chris Billam-Smith winner, could consider moving up to fight for it.
It also opens up possible options for future fights at heavyweight as well as further title defences for Rozanski now.
For Babic, he must rebuild. He delivered the action he promised, but not the result he longed for. He was beaten at his own game, a cruel one sometimes even if it is undeniably exciting to watch.
