Cruiserweight Robin Safar: 'I Want to Make A Good Statement in This Fight'

Make FightsATW Your Preferred Combat Sports Source

Enjoy our boxing and wrestling coverage? Add Fights Around The World as a Preferred Source on Google so our latest stories can show up more often in your Top Stories.

Add FightsATW on Google

Cruiserweight Robin Safar has been doing a lot of thinking but not much fighting in 2026.

That will change Friday night when he faces Yamil Alberto Peralta in a 10-round co-feature at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Safar, 19-0 (13 KOs), has been in talks to fight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, but an injury derailed his chance at the rumored January fight. Then, according to his team, they were in talks with Chris Billam-Smith, Ryan Rozicki, and Yuniel Dorticos. None of those bouts came to fruition, but his first bout will come five months into the year when he faces a veteran contender, Peralta.

“It is part of the game,” Safar told FightsATW. “You just got to flow in life, and you just got to flow in boxing. Whatever happens, roll and duck with the punches.

One could argue that this is as interesting as the cruiserweight division has been since Oleksandr Usyk won the undisputed cruiserweight title in a boxing tournament. Various fighters have emerged, such as Opetaia, David Benavidez, the potential of Artur Beterbiev, or Dmitry Bivol, moving up at some point. Safar is targeting the WBC titleholder, Noel Mikaelian.

“I would like to fight Noel after this fight, but first this fight,” Safar said. “I want to make a good statement in this fight.”

A 33-year-old Swede, who trains in Las Vegas, won a 10-round unanimous decision over Derick Miller Jr in November. Now, he looks to elevate his career with a win. Peralta, 18-1-1 (10 KOs), is best known for his two fights with Rozicki in Canada. Rozicki recently signed with Zuffa Boxing and will face Billam-Smith next month. Rozicki won a split decision in their first meeting, and the second bout in December 2024 was ruled a draw.

“This man beat Ryan Rozicki,” Safar said. “People talk about Ryan Rozicki fighting the top dogs; me beating this guy will be the answer to where I am at.”

The 34-year-old from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was menacing at the press conference, not backing down from the confident Safar.

“Everyone has a poker face when it is a press conference, when it is the weigh-in, until you start fighting and people start jumping on their bikes,” Safar said. “He is here to win, but that is fine, but everyone I have fought has come to win.”