Following his recent signing with Zuffa Boxing, Chris Billam-Smith has expressed his desire to face Jai Opetaia in a bid to solidify his position as the world's best. With his new deal, Billam-Smith will now compete live on Sky Sports. The former WBO cruiserweight world champion, who held the title from May 2023 to November 2024 before losing it to Gilberto Ramirez, has been out of the ring for over a year.
His last fight was a victory over Brandon Glanton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Opetaia, also a Zuffa fighter, recently became the inaugural Zuffa world cruiserweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Glanton.
Billam-Smith believes that a fight between the two is inevitable, given their status as top names in the cruiserweight division and their shared promoter. He stated, 'We're two of the biggest names in the cruiserweight division. We're both signed under the same promoter.' Billam-Smith's multi-fight deal with Zuffa is expected to help him prove his superiority in the sport by facing the best opponents, including Opetaia, who is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.
Despite being inactive for over a year, Billam-Smith has been in a training camp since January and is eager to announce his next fight soon. He hopes to return to the ring in the UK, preferably in his hometown of Bournemouth, where he has enjoyed some of his most notable career highlights, including becoming a world champion in 2023.