Nobody likes a party pooper, but Chris Billam-Smith is happy to assume that role once again on Saturday.
The English boxer makes a third defence of his WBO world cruiserweight title against rival world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the WBA titleholder, at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs), 34, from Bournemouth on the English south coast, might be champion and ESPN’s No. 2 ranked fighter at 200 pounds, but he is not the star attraction for Saturday’s major event. That is Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs), 33, the Mexican southpaw from Sinaloa and former world super middleweight champion who has had two fights at cruiserweight. Ramirez unanimously outpointed Arsen Goulamirian in March to win the WBA title and the title fight with Billam-Smith headlines a Riyadh Season “Latino Night” card, which according to the promotional message is “scheduled to be one of the biggest celebrations of Latino boxing talent.”
Riyadh Season and Oscar De La Hoya’s Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions are promoting the show, with Golden Boy and Billam-Smith’s UK-based promoter BOXXER to co-promote the main event.
De La Hoya has talked about this being a first step towards becoming undisputed champion for Ramirez, or even facing unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk if the Ukrainian decides on a cruiserweight return, but Billam-Smith is used to defying the script promoters and broadcasters would like boxing events to follow.
In his last fight, Billam-Smith silenced Richard Riakporhe’s home crowd at Selhurst Park, home of Premier League side Crystal Palace, when he produced a disciplined, dominant performance to earn a unanimous points decision victory in June. Billam-Smith also won his first title, the Commonwealth belt, when he travelled to Liverpool to stop local hero Craig Glover in 2019 and although he faces Ramirez on neutral ground, he feels like the away fighter again.
“The fight against Richard Riakporhe was at Selhurst Park, close to where he lives, it was his night, all about him,” Billam-Smith told ESPN.
“Similar with that everything is built around the Latino Night and Gilberto Ramirez, even the other Ramirez is fighting on the bill, it’s about promoting Latino fighters, and I have to go and spoil the party again. I have spoiled the party before and I have experienced this situation before, I have boxed in front of huge crowds and I have boxed in front of no crowds, so I’m ready for it, what ever it is like.
“It was one of my best performances versus Richard and it felt like a wider points win than the judges gave it. It was a decent performance and there’s a lot more I think I can do to improve, things I would do differently if I could have the fight again.”
Billam-Smith, known as “The Gentleman” for his polite and respectful manner outside of the ring, elevated his career with a breakout win over Lawrence Okolie in his first world title fight in May 2023. Billam-Smith floored Okolie — now a heavyweight — in three rounds on his way to a majority points win but believes he may have to produce a career-best performance to overcome Ramirez, whose only defeat came via unanimous decision to Russian Dmitry Bivol for the WBA world light heavyweight title two years ago.
Ramirez made five defences of the WBO world super middleweight title (2016-2018 reign) before stepping up to light heavyweight and then cruiserweight. Billam-Smith believes his intensity will be key to denying two-weight champion Ramirez victory.
“People wrote me off before I fought Lawrence Okolie,” Billam-Smith told ESPN.
“It was the biggest win of my career so far because of the stage it was on, in my home town and because it changed my career. I’m used to being the underdog, like I am again. This is another huge fight, a unification fight which can change my career again.
“I think I will have to raise my game for Ramirez. Because of the punch output he has, I can’t just wait around. After his last two performances at cruiserweight against Arsen Goulamirian and Joe Smith Jr., I need to be ready for his work rate, I need to keep my shape better and I need to keep my hands up.
“Because I fight with intensity, I think that will be more of an issue for him rather than the size and me being more experienced at cruiserweight than him. I’ve been very active, more active than him in the last two years, and I’ve had some good performances in that time so it will be interesting.
“The intensity I have, the strength I have, the work rate I have against someone who has not had that in front of them will find it hard against me. People don’t realise what I am like until they get in the ring with me.”
Billam-Smith is attempting to become the first unified world cruiserweight champion from the UK since David Haye, who held three belts following his stoppage win over Enzo Maccarinelli in March 2008 before he stepped up to heavyweight.
“David Haye was one of the biggest fighters when I was an amateur, just getting into boxing,” Billam-Smith told ESPN.
“I started boxing in 2006 and he was at his peak around that time, fighting the likes of Enzo Maccarinelli. He was huge, one of the biggest names in the sport, and I used to love watching him because of his aggressive style. He was so explosive and for me to be unify the titles like he did would be very special.
“I actually sparred with David once and he messaged me to congratulate me after I beat Lawrence Okolie, and said I proved him wrong because he predicted Lawrence would beat me. He’s always got a nice message for me and it would be great to emulate what he did.”
Also on Saturday’s card is a great matchup between former champion Jose Ramirez (29-1, 18 KOs) vs. Arnold Barboza (30-0, 11 KOs) in a junior welterweight clash.
William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), who is due to face Shakur Stevenson in early 2025, faces former champion Tevin Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) at lightweight; Oscar Duarte Jurado vs. Botirzhon Akhmedov is taking place at junior welterweight and WBO junior flyweight champion Oscar Collazo vs. WBA champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong in another title-unification bout.
Source: espn.com