Chris Billam-Smith has plans for cruiserweight title fights, however would transfer up a division for a conflict with huge-punching veteran Deontay Wilder.
Billam-Smith was the WBO world champion at 200lbs however misplaced his title in a unification conflict with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in 2024.
The Bournemouth fighter got here again with a robust win over Brandon Glanton final yr and, whereas he has objectives at cruiserweight, he acknowledges he might be tempted to maneuver up out of the division.
“I don’t think my style suits heavyweight,” Billam-Smith advised the Toe2Toe podcast.
“The one fights I might transfer up in weight for, that sort of make sense to me is, one, if Lawrence [Okolie] bought his arms on a world title. I might be the one man who’s overwhelmed him and he is heavyweight world champion. And Deontay Wilder at bridgerweight.
“I’d love that fight,” Billam-Smith defined. “That may be an fascinating one. You take a look at after I’ve boxed punchers with an enormous proper hand, I’ve completed alright.
“I definitely think stylistically that would be really good for me.”
His quick goal although is a WBC cruiserweight title problem towards Noel Mikaelian, who secured that belt when he beat Badou Jack in December.
Gentle-heavyweight world champion David Benavidez transferring as much as cruiser and straight right into a bout with unified WBA and WBO world champion “Zurdo” Ramirez might complicate Billam-Smith’s plans.
However he will probably be a eager observer of that all-Mexican conflict.
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Coach Don Charles has backed his former fighter Derek Chisora to beat Deontay Wilder ought to the pair conflict in what Chisora has stated will probably be his final battle.
“We want him to beat ‘Zurdo’ and we want to fight him. That’s my view. That’s the team’s view,” Billam-Smith stated.
“He’s a big name, a huge name. He’d have beaten the guy who’s beaten me, if that was the case.”
He added: “I make Zurdo the favourite in the fight, but I’m talking 51-49. I do think he’s got the style to beat Zurdo but Zurdo’s very, very clever. But what a name, what a fight stylistically.
“You are within the sport for the largest names and he is an enormous identify.
“If I can go to Vegas, even better, because there’s still that dream.”
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Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder subsequent? Sky Sports activities Boxing’s Andy Scott takes a more in-depth take a look at the explanation why the potential battle could also be occurring.
Billam-Smith wish to put himself on a path that in the end results in a showdown with Jai Opetaia, the IBF belt-holder who’s extensively acknowledged as one of the best cruiserweight on the planet.
“All the hype around Jai and understanding how the business works I think an ideal route would be probably Benavidez beating Zurdo, me fighting Mikaelian and my next three fights being Mikaelian, Benavidez, Opetaia. Because then that builds it into a massive fight. Also then I go into that fight as the A-side,” the Bournemouth man stated.
“In an ideal world I think that would be the route. But that doesn’t always happen in boxing.”
