Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith are gearing up for their mouthwatering cruiserweight unification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 16.
WBO king Billam-Smith comes off two dominant title defenses after claiming his strap with a monumental upset victory over domestic rival Lawrence Okolie last year.
Ramirez, meanwhile, secured his WBA belt earlier this year with a unanimous decision victory over Arsen Goulamirian, becoming a three-division world champion.
And so, given their recent performances, the pair will now head into their eagerly anticipated matchup with barely a whisker to separate them.
Malik Scott claims that Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith is a ‘mismatch’
Both combatants will headline their first Riyadh Season card, promoted by two-time Hall of Fame inductee Oscar De La Hoya and Boxxer boss Ben Shalom.
More than that, though, the result of their intriguing contest is set to provide some much-needed clarity on the world scene at 200 lbs.
The majority of boxing fans would claim that Jai Opetaia, who holds the IBF title, is the top dog of their division.
After all, the Australian holds two victories over cruiserweight legend Mairis Briedis, and comes off a dominant display over Jack Massey on the Artur Beterviev vs Dmitry Bivol undercard.
But while most boxing aficionados envision Zurdo and Billam-Smith’s clash being a 50-50 dustup, Malik Scott, the trainer of former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, has suggested otherwise.
In fairness, Scott has assisted Ramirez’s head coach, Julian Chua, throughout their training camp, and can only see his charge making a monumental statement come fight night.
“Julian is one of the brightest trainers in boxing,” Scott told BoxingScene. “I enjoy learning from him. I had Zurdo for his fight with Joe Smith, and he did well.
“No disrespect to Billam-Smith, but this fight is a mismatch. Zurdo is a big, strong southpaw who’s faced tougher opponents than Billam-Smith.
“He’s a powerful body puncher with great angles and an incredible boxing mind. Billam-Smith is big and keeps coming forward, but he’s a one-trick pony.”
Chris Billam-Smith ranks cruiserweight rivals Gilberto Ramirez and Jai Opetaia
Ahead of their encounter, Billam-Smith has given his vastly experienced opponent an overall rating of seven out of ten.
This is because, he says, of Ramirez’s previous defeat to Bivol, where the Mexican was outboxed through 12 rounds back in 2022.
‘The Gentleman,’ however, gave Opetaia a much more respectable rating of 8.5, showing that he is, in fact, mindful of the 29-year-old’s elite boxing skills.
And finally, Billam-Smith was afforded the luxury of giving himself the highest score, claiming that, with a rating of 9, he is indeed the full package.