Chris Billam-Smith expects to fight Jai Opetaia next year, if they are both victorious in their upcoming bouts.
Former world champion Billam-Smith has long targeted Australia’s Opetaia, widely regarded as the best cruiserweight in the sport.
Opetaia will box Noel Mikaelian on the undercard of Conor Benn’s fight with Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas on September 12.
Billam-Smith should fight again before the end of the year and then intends to resume his pursuit of Opetaia.
It’s a showdown he believes will happen in 2027.
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Ryan Rozicki was pulled out of the fight after the seventh round following an instant classic with Chris Billam-Smith.
“I think so. I think I need to get through my next fight and then I’ll fight the winner of that, whoever that might be,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports.
“Mikaelian on his day is a good fighter but I pick Jai to beat him.
“But it might take him a few rounds to set the pace and obviously Mikaelian’s got some good names on his record, has some good performances but I feel like he’s slowed down a little bit and gone a little bit past it now.”
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The Sky Sports Boxing commentary team watches on in disbelief as Ryan Rozicki takes some huge shots from opponent Chris Billam-Smith in their Zuffa Boxing 07 main event.
For his return to action Billam-Smith said: “Looking most probably around November time.
“I think it will be London or Bournemouth. Don’t know who yet.
“The champions seem a bit tied up, I think [David] Benavidez is lining up a fight for December as well in Vegas, I believe.”
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Chev Clarke bounced back from being put down twice in the fourth round as he went on to stop Jack Massey in the seventh round of their cruiserweight classic.
Cheavon Clarke caught the eye with a knockout, comeback victory over Jack Massey on the undercard of Billam-Smith’s barnstorming battle with Ryan Rozicki.
“Obviously Chev won on my undercard. He’s got two [amateur] wins over me so from a competitor’s point of view I’d very much like to get one back,” Billam-Smith noted, speaking to Sky Sports at a screening of new boxing drama Fightland.
“[Clarke-Massey was] a superb fight which I think was definitely going to win fight of the night – until our fight.”
Both Clarke and Massey were amateur foes of Billam-Smith’s, and both of them beat the Bournemouth man in elite championship finals.
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Chev Clarke recovered from being knocked down twice to stop Jack Massey in the seventh round of their enthralling clash.
He wants revenge. “I owe him one and I feel like that does the Jack Massey one in the ABA final as well. Both of those have beaten me in an ABA final. That would put that to bed so that would be nice,” Billam-Smith said.
“I’m up for whoever,” he added. “Zuffa are signing people all the time so you just don’t know who’s going to pop up out the woodwork and get offered. So we will see on that front.”
Billam-Smith lost his WBO championship to Gilberto Ramirez in 2024 and beat Brandon Glanton in his only bout of last year. But June’s thunderous collision with Rozicki showed that the 36-year-old can still perform in top-level contests.
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Chris Billam-Smith found out just how tough Ryan Rozicki was after the Canadian took nine clean shots from The Gentleman.
“I think if I’d taken my foot off the gas and was just sort of coasting I would definitely have been beat that night. I think that’s the important thing to take away from my point of view,” Billam-Smith said.
“I had to be switched on and pushing the training as I do and looking for different ways to improve.
“I’m on it. And I’m still getting better.”
Fightland is coming to Sky and NOW on August 27.