Chris Billam-Smith swiftly found himself on the receiving end of a torrid beatdown last Saturday, losing his WBO world cruiserweight title to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
The Brit got off to a bright start, pushing his opponent onto the backfoot, before succumbing to a relentless onslaught produced by the WBA champion.
Ramirez utilized his superior boxing brain to negate his opponent’s aggression, putting together a series of mesmerizing combinations en route to claiming a wide unanimous decision victory.
And so, with the skilful technician becoming the unified champion at 200 lbs, fans are now clamoring to see him in the ring with IBF king Jai Opetaia.
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Chris Billam-Smith reveals brutal injuries following Gilberto Ramirez defeat
Prior to their one-sided showdown, a lot was made of the size difference between Billam-Smith and Zurdo at Friday’s weigh-in.
Former super middleweight champion Ramirez, in truth, looked to be carrying a degree of excess body fat around his midsection.
Whereas Billam-Smith – the far more natural cruiserweight – was as chiseled as ever when he hopped onto the scales.
And yet, size seemingly played no factor come fight night, as Ramirez began to take control after establishing his range and rhythm from the second round.
Still, despite being heavily outgunned, Billam-Smith showed that he has the heart of a lion and ultimately lasted the full 12-round distance against a world class operator.
That said, his bravery most certainly came at a cost, with combat sports broadcaster Ariel Helwani sharing an image of the battered and bruised Brit on his social media.
For all his troubles, ‘The Gentleman’ suffered a broken right thumb, fractured left hand, stitches inside and outside of his eye and damaged ribs.
What’s next for Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto Ramirez?
For Ramirez, the only matchup that makes sense is against Jai Opetaia, who comes off a destructive sixth-round stoppage over Jack Massey.
Better yet, the fight should be relatively straightforward to make, with rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya now expressing an interest in working together.
Billam-Smith, meanwhile, must come to terms with whatever motivation he has left in the sport.
Of course, he is more than capable of earning another world title shot; but, at the same time, the 34-year-old may well choose to sail off into the sunset.