Chris Billam-Smith expects Gilberto Ramirez to prove the “most well-rounded” opponent of his career.
On Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the WBO and WBA champions contest their titles and their statuses as the leading rivals to Jai Opetaia as the finest cruiserweight in the world.
The 34-year-old Billam-Smith has transformed his career throughout the course of the victory over Lawrence Okolie that delivered the WBO title and the defences he has since made of it against Mateusz Masternak and most recently Richard Riakporhe, in June.
If against Riakporhe he secured victory against an opponent long considered destined for heavyweight, in “Zurdo” Ramirez he fights another who first established himself at super middleweight and light heavyweight, and therefore vastly different in stature and style.
Billam-Smith’s trainer Shane McGuigan has already stressed the importance of impressing the judges against the Mexican opponent he believes capable of ensuring close rounds, but for all of his respect for Ramirez, Billam-Smith – who against Riakporhe demonstrated that he continues to improve – stopped short of saying that he was his toughest opponent of all.
“He’s really good,” the Briton told BoxingScene. “He’s a big name, without [being] much of a talker, and he’s managed to win a world title at cruiserweight. You don’t beat a champion early on without being skilled. He’s got a good punch output; he’s super tough, because [past opponent Arsen] Goulamirian was a decent puncher, and he’s got a lot of strings to his bow. He’s tricky in there. Really, really good. He’s shown that throughout his career.
“His feet have slowed down as a cruiserweight. That would be a weakness, but he’s still got good feet and a good stance, and he doesn’t lose his shape. He doesn’t move as much, but his punch variety is really good; he leans back really well; he’s got a good left hand to body and head. He’s got good distance control; decent punch power; he buzzed Goulamirian a few times, who’s super-tough. He’s a really, really good all-rounder. There’s not many glaring weaknesses – when it comes down to his footwork, it’s not like I’m super fleet-footed either. But he’s got a good punch output and good punch variety, which is dangerous at cruiserweight.
“Lawrence was difficult, because Lawrence is Lawrence, and he’s super awkward, and that’s always a difficult fight. No one’s ever looked good against Lawrence, in terms of performing, and he doesn’t look good when he wins sometimes, so he’s hard to look good against. That awkwardness is a skill in itself. It’s difficult to overcome. I did have the experience [of sparring and sharing a gym with Okolie]. Whereas this fight I have a game plan and I’ll have to adapt during the fight as well. But I think he’s got the most attributes out of everyone. [Mateusz] Masternek was obviously a hard style as well, but [Ramirez is] the most well-rounded fighter I’ve ever fought.
“Richard’s and Zurdo’s styles are polar opposites – Richard’s a one-punch knockout artist, so you have to worry about his backhand, whereas Gilberto will throw lots of shots; different shots; vary shots; different angles; a right hook; a jab; a right uppercut. Richard’s limited to that backhand and the punch output’s not the same.”
The 33-year-old Ramirez’s only previous defeat came against the great Dmitry Bivol, at light heavyweight in 2022. Billam-Smith lost in 2019 to Riakporhe, before avenging that defeat with a convincing victory in June.
“It’ll be interesting to see how he deals with an in-form, busy, intense cruiserweight who can punch, because I fight at an intensity he hasn’t seen before, probably at any weight division he’s boxed at,” Billam-Smith continued. “I box at a real high intensity; I fight for every second of every round, and that’ll be the telling factor in the fight, and how he deals with that.
“Bivol uses his feet all the time. He’s in and out on his feet; he doesn’t lose his stance. I’m different to Bivol – I don’t box like Bivol. There’s not really too much I can take away from that, except from he can be beaten. It wasn’t like it was early on in his career – it was at the top level, also out in the Middle East. That bodes well for me. But Bivol and me are very different fighters, in terms of style and strengths and weaknesses.
“I’ll lose some of the advantages I may have at cruiserweight, because I’m usually the one with the fast hands and the punch output. But stylistically I think it gels really well into an exciting fight. With Richard there was a lot more work to be done outside of the punches, in terms of taking certain shots away from him – whereas this time it’s about letting them hands go, and the variety of shots go, and that’s going to be key.”
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