Lukasz Rozanski became history’s second WBC bridgerweight champion with a stunning first-round KO of the previously rated heavyweight Alen Babic.
In the main event of Sky Sports and TVP Sport co-production, presented in association with Knockout Promotions, the hometown hero moved to 15-0, 14 KOs.
Heavyweight to bridgerweight
He made short work of the Croatian wildman known as ‘The Savage,’ who drops to 11-1, 10 KOs. Babic moved down in weight after making his name at 200 pounds plus.
With the triumph, Rozanski claimed the newly-formed 224-pound championship in front of a partisan crowd in the sold-out G2A Arena.
In truth, the fight was never going to go the distance. Both fighters are gunslingers who favor all-out aggression and could care less for defense.
However, the ferocity of the first-round finish still caused shockwaves in the division.
Early in the session, Rozanski found his mark first. Babic never fully recovered. He got put on the back foot almost instantly, and then came a storm of heavy leather.
The onslaught did not relent until the referee waved the fight off at 2.10 of the second round.
Rozanski didn’t give Babic any opportunity to gain a foothold in the fight. When the bell rang in the first round, the Pole attacked the visiting Croatian with power, sending him to the canvas.
Babic got to his feet, but Rozanski again connected with a mighty right hand, putting him in bad shape. He was then battered with all kinds of combinations.
The referee Guadalupe García decided to stop the fight because Babic was receiving too much punishment.
Rozanski vs Babic
Rozanski establishes himself as a bonafide WBC ruler. Babic, who had his manager, English heavyweight Dillian Whyte, in his corner, heads back to England to start again.
Babic, a thirty-two-year-old who made a living as a nightclub bouncer for a decade before finding his calling and making it big in boxing, is five years Lukasz’s junior.
Therefore, he has time to make a comeback after a previous run at heavyweight.
Rozanski, who always fought in his homeland of Poland as a professional, kept his great run by enhancing his reputation.
In his most recent fight, he knocked out former heavyweight contender Artur Szpilka in the first round. Early in his career, he stopped former British and EBU heavyweight champion Michael Sprott in two rounds.
Adding Babic to that tally is an eye-catching record. Rozanski could now be ordered to face Oscar Rivas, who was forced to give up the title after suffering an injury.
