Mikey Rizzo: “I’ll either finish the fight or put on one hell of a show”

It was one of the standout fights from Extreme Fight Night in April.

Lionheart’s Mikey Rizzo and Shannon Kickboxing’s David Ryan entertained the crowd to a bloody war that night.

Rizzo sustained a cut to his forehead at the end of an exciting opening first-round while Ryan was cut midway through the second. The images which emerged afterwards showed how much each fighter wanted the win, blood covering their faces in the heat of battle.

Ultimately, it was Ryan who walked away victorious with a unanimous decision victory. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Rizzo but now he gets a chance of redemption.

On Saturday night, at Capital 1, Rizzo will face Ryan again but this time the stakes are higher, the stage is bigger and it’s an opportunity to even the score.

“I believe that I’d done enough to get the win [in the first fight]. With the cuts and everything, it certainly was a war but this time I’ll make sure it’s not going to be a war. I want a clean fight this time and I want a clean finish.

“I won’t even make excuses, this time there won’t be any options. I’ll make sure I get the finish,” he told Fightstore Media.

“I’m going to be there to entertain people, I’m not going to be a boring fighter. I’ll make sure that I either finish the fight or put on one hell of a show. I’ve been working on a few things with Collie that’s going to finish this fight.”

And he’s keen to make a statement. Rizzo is not just looking to win, he expects to finish the fight in a ‘classy manor’ and ‘shock everyone’.

Before stepping into the pro ranks the young fighter had only a couple of amateur fights under his belt. It was his performances in these fights which showed that he had what it took to make the step up in competition.

“I only had four or five amateur fights and I won them all. To step up straight away, I’m more inexperienced than other professional fighters so I’m at a disadvantage.

“But, that’s not going to stop me. That just makes me more determined to finish these guys who’ve had a lot more fights than me. It’s pushing me forward.

“If a coach like Collie has the confidence in me to tell me that I can go and be a professional fighter this soon in my career then I’ll take that and build on it.”

When he decided to turn pro, Rizzo dedicated himself to Lionheart in an effort to improve and grow as fighter.

“Starting here, I never knew what would come of it. These guys have been through lots of fights and they’re seriously experienced.

“I just came off a couple of amateur fights and got thrown into the deep end but I couldn’t be any happier with the way things have gone. If I continue to progress with these guys around me then only good results will come.”

The young combatant will relish the opportunity to appear on the biggest show ever to hit Dublin. He admits that he never expected to be on such a big show so soon.

“I would have never expected it. Just for the fact that I don’t have many fights on my record. Just to think that I’m on a card with so many experienced and top-class fighters this country has to offer and international stars is unbelievable,” he said.