Following his recent signing with Zuffa Boxing, Chris Billam-Smith has expressed his desire to face Jai Opetaia, aiming to solidify his position as the world's best. Billam-Smith, who previously held the WBO cruiserweight title from May 2023 to November 2024, is eager to return to the ring after a year-long hiatus. His last victory was against Brandon Glanton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and he is now set to fight live on Sky Sports. Opetaia, also a Zuffa fighter, recently became the inaugural Zuffa world cruiserweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Glanton.
Billam-Smith believes that their shared promoter and status as two of the biggest names in the cruiserweight division make a fight between them inevitable. He stated, 'We're two of the biggest names in the cruiserweight division. We're both signed under the same promoter.' Billam-Smith has a multi-fight deal with Zuffa and has been in a training camp since January, looking to announce his next fight soon. He hopes to get back in the ring, preferably in the UK, and eventually secure the big fights he has been chasing.