Chris Billam-Smith Aims for World-Level Return After Ramirez Defeat

Cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith has stated that he is “not thinking about retiring yet” and that any future return to boxing “got to be at world level.” This declaration comes after his defeat to Gilberto Ramirez in Saudi Arabia, a world title unification bout where the British fighter was outpointed. Billam-Smith is now speaking publicly for the first time since the loss on November 16. Billam-Smith shared his experience with BBC Sport, stating, “I was hitting him with real neat shots and just wasn’t getting any reaction from him and I was shocked at that.” He described the experience as a “learning curve for me and the team, we thought I’d be able to get to him and hurt him but it wasn’t to be.” He further noted, “I’ve never hit someone that clean and not got a reaction. He’d then fire back within five seconds with three or four big punches which was very disheartening.” Following the conclusion of the fight, the judges’ scorecards were recorded as 116-112, 116-112, and 116-113, all unanimously favoring Ramirez of Mexico. This marked the second professional career defeat for the Bournemouth-based boxer, whose only prior loss was against Richard Riakporhe in 2019. Subsequently, the former WBO champion was transported to a hospital in Riyadh, where he remained for more than eight hours to receive medical attention. According to trainer Shane McGuigan, Billam-Smith competed with injuries to both hands and a rib, in addition to sustaining several deep cuts around his eyes, especially his left. Despite enduring significant blows throughout the contest, Billam-Smith completed all 12 rounds, staying on his feet. He began strongly and secured some of the later rounds, but ultimately could not prevent Ramirez from claiming the unified cruiserweight championship title. Gilberto Ramirez’s victory over Billam-Smith made him the first Mexican boxer to unify world cruiserweight titles. Ben Shalom commented that Billam-Smith ‘dared to be great’ in his defeat to Ramirez. ‘The Gentleman’ (Billam-Smith’s nickname) indicated that his injuries affected his eyesight during the bout, causing his vision to be blurred for a significant portion of the later rounds. Billam-Smith further recounted his post-fight experience, stating, “I was just trying to process everything afterwards at the hospital.” He described his condition: “I was in a lot of pain, I was cold and hadn’t eaten anything. I couldn’t move from bed to bed on my own and I needed support from others.” He recalled, “I just remember lying there and shaking because I hadn’t eaten or had any water because of the morphine they were putting me on, which did absolutely nothing for the pain.” He concluded, “That type of fight was so draining mentally and physically, it was really hard to be honest.” Billam-Smith’s tenure as world champion spanned approximately a year and a half. Despite the loss of his WBO title, the 34-year-old asserted that he is not finished with his career. He has previously held the British, Commonwealth, and European cruiserweight championships. In Billam-Smith’s weight class, the current world champions include Ramirez, who holds both the WBO and WBA titles, Jai Opetaia, the IBF champion, and Noel Mikaelian, who possesses the WBC belt. Australian boxer Opetaia is scheduled for a mandatory title defense in January against the undefeated German fighter Huseyin Cinkara. Billam-Smith is planning a potential path for 2025, while also considering his life outside of boxing. His pre-fight training camps in London require him to spend considerable time apart from his wife Mia and their young son, who reside in Bournemouth. Billam-Smith commented on future possibilities, stating, “It’s likely that if Jai Opetaia comes through his next fight then he’ll fight Zurdo [Ramirez] for three of the belts.” He expressed his ambition: “I’d love to fight the other champion and then take on the winner of that fight if it is possible. It’s got to be at world level either for an eliminator or a world title.” However, he also acknowledged personal considerations: “I don’t want to go on and on though, especially having a young family and spending a lot of time away from them is the hardest thing during camp, and missing the little man growing up.” Despite this, he affirmed his commitment: “But I’ve got a couple more years left, I’m not thinking about retiring now. I don’t want to off the back of that defeat. I want to keep going and I’ll learn from it, that’s all I can do.”