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. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "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." For his return to action Billam-Smith said: "Looking most probably around November time.
"I think it will be London or Bournemouth. "The champions seem a bit tied up, I think [David] Benavidez is lining up a fight for December as well in Vegas, I believe." 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. "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.
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