Ryan Rozicki-Yamil Peralta Rematch Scheduled for Dec. 7; Noel Mikaeljan Exits Due To Legal Dispute With Don King
Yamil Peralta (left) and Ryan Rozicki (right) battled to a controversial decision win in Rozicki’s favor in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada – Photo by Argentina Boxing Promotions
Ryan Rozicki will retain his date and hometown title.
The stakes and the opponent have changed, however.
The Ring has confirmed that Noel Mikaeljan has once again withdrawn from a mandatory title defense against Rozicki. Mikaeljan (27-2, 12 knockouts) was scheduled to defend his WBC cruiserweight title against Rozicki on Dec. 7. at Center 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
However, an ongoing legal dispute with estranged Hall of Fame promoter Don King forced the reigning lineup to pull out of the show.
Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) will face Argentina’s Yamil Peralta (17-1, 9 KOs) in a rematch, this time for the interim WBC title.
“With Noel Mikaelin unavailable to defend his title, Ryan Rozicki will face Yamil Peralta in Sydney, Canada on Dec 7,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Ring. “This fight has been approved for the WBC Interim World Cruiserweight Title. [It] making for a big championship fight with Ryan as the #1 contender and Yamil as the #2 contender.
“The winner will be recognized as the true WBC World Champion.
Rozicki won his first fight by split decision, which took place at this same venue. Many are arguing for a May 2022 result, as Peralta is believed to deserve the nod.
Peralta’s team immediately demanded a rematch. They even filed a protest with the WBC, whose independent review found grounds to recognize the fight as a No-Contest.
The official result remains Rozicki’s win, as recognized by the Nova Scotia Combat Sport Authority. The night marked a unanimous decision victory for Rozicki, who has scored knockouts in his other 19 wins.
However, it was also a story he was never satisfied with and wanted to revisit.
“This is the rematch that Ryan always wanted,” Daniel Otter, Rozicki’s promoter, told The Ring. “He is very focused and determined to be at his best. He will win until December 7.
“Noel is not fighting Ryan so Peralta is next and Ryan will be world champion. We are confident.”
Peralta has won four since losing to Rozicki. The most recent was his best feat to date, a ten-round split decision over longtime rival Thabiso Mchunu (23-7, 13 KOs) on March 22 in Durban, South Africa.
This moved Peralta high enough in the rankings to be in position to grab the next available title slot. Now it’s time to avenge his one career defeat.
For Rozicki, it’s a chance to advance in a battle his team believes will never see the light of day.
“Noel Mikaelin’s story has been repeated so we are all happy to continue,” commented Otter. “After many attempts to get Noel in the ring, an eleventh hour deal was made before the Purse bid a few weeks ago.
The aforementioned deal was the latest attempt by Three Lions Promotions to move forward with a fight that has been postponed five times. Earlier, the request for money had to be heard after the fight dates in June and September were completely cancelled. Mikaeljan’s injury during training was cited as the cause of June’s collapse.
No reason at all was given for the September 28 cancellation, an apt metaphor for the state of Don King Productions in 2024.
Otter and King’s representatives met to agree on a December 7 date in Rozicki’s hometown.
“Now Noel says there is a 93-year-old man who is rumored to have a health problem,” said Otter. “Everything has become very strange.”
It’s pretty clear that Mikaeljan, ranked number 2 in the 200 by The Ring, has no interest in facing Rozicki.
Mikaeljan has not fought since he started fighting. he won the belt in the third round against former champion Ilunga Makabu. This incident happened last November 4 in his hometown of Miami. Now there are many chances that he will be released from his title for failing to defend it.
Rozicki at least gets to continue his career in familiar surroundings.
The main players of the Center 200 are the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League. Rozicki, 29, is also a regular. He has headlined or featured in all six boxing events to appear on the site in the 21st century.
The most recent came out Dec. 2022 in the first round of Mario Aguilar (23-9, 19 KOs), one fight after his victory over Peralta.
The remaining four bouts add to Rozicki’s impressive record as he emerges as a WBC cruiserweight contender. Delays in the title fight have kept him out of the ring since his first round loss to Olanrewaju Durodola (46-10, 41 KOs) last Dec. 3 in Sydney.
In total, Rozicki has won seven in a row since his October 2021 loss to Oscar Rivas. Their highly anticipated fight marked the first fight for the WBC Bridgerweight title.
Rozicki and Peralta are rated No. 8 and No. 9 at cruiserweight, respectively, by The Ring.
The silver lining in the new plans is wartime. The annual WBC Convention will begin one day later, on December 8 in Hamburg, Germany. Sulaiman confirmed the status of the WBC cruiserweight title among the topics to be discussed during its week-long session.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
