Former world champion Chris Billam-Smith is still very much a title contender despite no longer having an unbeaten record.
Losing a cruiserweight unification bout against Gilberto Ramirez, Billam-Smith’s record fell to 20-2.
The loss meant that the English fighter no longer could call himself a cruiserweight world champion, having won the belt from Lawrence Okolie in 2023.
Looking to get back into title contention, Billam-Smith is open to a fight with a former world champion.
Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty ImagesChris Billam-Smith open to fight with Sergey Kovalev while waiting for title opportunity
‘The Gentleman’ was able to return to the win column in his last outing, defeating Brandon Glanton via unanimous decision on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn.
Now with a 21-2 record, there is no scheduled opponent for Billam-Smith, who is eager to get back in the ring.
In a recent interview with Seconds Out, Billam-Smith said he may have to ‘wait out’ his next title opportunity.
When asked if there was any non-title holder that would interest Billam-Smith, there was just one name the fighter replied with. “Kovalev’s flying around now, which is a bit mental. But, he has a great name.”
In terms of how the fight between himself and former Canelo Alvarez opponent Sergey Kovalev would play out, Billam-Smith said, “It would be a difficult fight for me, because he’s a mover… So I’d like to go in there and prove myself against someone with that style.”
After Kovalev’s loss to Alvarez in 2019, he took a three-year hiatus from the sport. Returning in 2022, he would defeat Tervel Pulev, in what was his last fight for another two years.
2024 and 2025 would see Kovalev fight once during each of the respective years. A 2024 loss and 2025 victory in April would see 42-year-old Kovalev with a record of 36-5-1.
The Russian is also looking for an opponent, which has even led to Kovalev calling out Jake Paul.
Chris Billam-Smith says Jai Opetaia and Gilberto Ramirez aiming for fight in 2025
One of the main reasons why Billam-Smith cannot go straight into a title shot is that three of the division’s four belts are held by two opponents looking to face one another.
Despite Paul attempting to disrupt a fight between Jai Opetaia and Ramirez, it appears as if the two cruiserweight champions could meet this year.
In his interview with Seconds Out, Billam-Smith said that he understood that “Opetaia and ‘Zurdo’ are looking towards the end of the year [to fight].”
The Englishman also added that he would be ready to be a replacement fighter for either champion should a withdrawal occur.