Negotiations for a mouthwatering unification showdown between cruiserweight world champions Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez are now seemingly in full swing.
Billam-Smith realised his boyhood dream when he dethroned Lawrence Okolie to claim the WBO strap at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, in front of his home fans.
Since his upset victory last year, the 34-year-old has made two defences of his title, defeating both Mateusz Masternak and domestic rival Richard Riakporhe.
And now, the Briton looks to cement his legacy against the WBA cruiserweight titlist, but may have to give up some ground on the negotiating table.
Where will Chris Billam-Smith vs Gilberto Ramirez take place?
While he has always expressed a desire to perform under the bright lights in America, it would seem that Billam-Smith will have little control over where his next outing is staged.
The unification with Ramirez is set to headline a Riyadh Season card promoted by Golden Boy, suggesting that it could take place in the Middle East.
But regardless, Billam-Smith knows that the opportunity to unify trumps any ideals over a location or venue.
On Sky Sports Ringside Toe2Toe Boxing Podcast, he said: “We’re in talks for me against ‘Zurdo’ towards the end of the year, whether that’s in November or December or whether that’s in America or Saudi Arabia.
“If it can’t be done in America then I’m not going to turn down a unification fight. This is boxing at the end of the day – you can’t always get things your own way. If it has to be somewhere else then so be it.”
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Why is Chris Billam-Smith not fighting Jai Opetaia?
While Billam-Smith has now confirmed his plans to face Ramirez, the fight had already been mooted by an ESPN reporter last week.
But before this news emerged, IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia tried to lure his counterpart into an intriguing matchup between arguably the two best operators at 200 lbs.
Billam-Smith, however, refused to agree to the fight unless he was given a full training camp.
He told Sky Sports: “This is the fight that people see as the number one against number two in the division. We got offered [the fight] 10 weeks out, and he said that’s long enough for a camp.
“He’s right. But I was in America at the start of a three-week family holiday and knew I wasn’t going to start training until, basically, this week.”
Instead, Opetaia will defend his belt against European champion Jack Massey on October 12.