A proven tough cookie and also a major player in the current cruiserweight division courtesy of the WBO belt he has now successfully defended twice, Chris Billam-Smith is looking at taking on the consensus best in the weight division, this being IBF and Ring Magazine ruler Jai Opetaia. Or rather Billam-Smith’s trainer Shane McGuigan is talking about taking this fight next.
33 year old Billam-Smith, who avenged his sole pro defeat on Saturday night, this with a points win over the dangerous Richard Riakporhe, has said himself he wants to “go for more belts” at 200 pounds, and his trainer feels he has the stuff to defeat unbeaten southpaw Opetaia.
“It’s the marquee fight of the division,” McGuigan said to Boxing Social on a fight with Opetaia. “People think Chris Billam-Smith will be easy pickings for Jai Opetaia, but I think he can beat him, I genuinely do. I have to say that Opetaia in the number one just by the way he beat [Mairis] Breidis who was originally the number one, but if Chris can go out and unify against Gilberto Ramirez (the current WBA champ) and Opetaia can pick up the WBC belt, I know Badou Jack is champion but they’ve also got Norair Mikaeljan as the WBC champion, if we can get those to box and win world titles and we can go on to an undisputed fight, for me as coach and someone who managed his career, that’s the most important thing.”
McGuigan, who went on to say his guy Billam-Smith will “never go to heavyweight,” the way Opetaia has suggested could be the case for himself down the road, says the “meaningful” fights at cruiserweight are what he and his fighter want. And for sure, we fans would tune in to see how Opetaia would handle Billam-Smith.
Opetaia has looked sensational in some of his fights, but he can be hit. Breidis gave Opetaia two tough fights, even breaking the Australian’s jaw in their first encounter. Opetaia, 25-0(19) is big for the weight, he has proven power, and he is as McGuigan says the best at the weight in the opinion of most. But Billam-Smith, though he may not be the most exciting fighter out there, has shown he is one heck of a durable fighter, he is also determined, a hard worker in the gym, and the warrior from Bournemouth has already pulled off a couple of upset wins.
Can Billam-Smith, 20-1(13) pull off the big one and beat Opetaia? Can this fight be made, either this year or next year?
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