Chris Billam-Smith swiftly found himself on the receiving end of a punishing 12-round beatdown when he locked horns with Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez earlier this month.
‘The Gentleman’ entered their clash in Saudi Arabia as a slight underdog, but ultimately proved to be no match against his vastly more technical and experienced opponent.
And yet, while he was heavily outgunned in nearly every department, Billam-Smith produced a remarkably brave performance to hear the final bell.
But still, the Brit was forced to suffer his second professional defeat at the hands of Ramirez, who came away from his unanimous decision victory as the unified cruiserweight champion.
Chris Billam-Smith reflects on his defeat to Gilberto Ramirez
Shortly after losing his WBO strap in devastating fashion, Billam-Smith was sent straight to hospital where his gruesome injuries were treated.
Ramirez, meanwhile, seized the opportunity to call out IBF titlist Jai Opetaia, who is widely regarded as the most complete cruiserweight on the planet.
Before his potential clash with Zurdo, though, the Australian must first take care of business against his mandatory challenger, Huseyin Cinkara, on January 8.
As for Billam-Smith, it would appear that he remains eager to get back to winning ways, looking to return at some point next year.
But, in the immediate aftermath of his defeat to Ramirez, the 34-year-old nonetheless came to the realization that his opponent was far beyond what he had anticipated.
“I was hitting him with real neat shots and just wasn’t getting any reaction from him and I was shocked at that.” Billam-Smith told BBC Sport.
“I’ve never hit someone that clean and not got a reaction, he’d then fire back within five seconds with three or four big punches which was very disheartening.”
“I was just trying to process everything afterwards at the hospital. I was in a lot of pain, I was cold and hadn’t eaten anything. I couldn’t move from bed to bed on my own and I needed support from others.”
Chris Billam-Smith targets the winner of Jai Opetaia vs. Gilberto Ramirez
Sure enough, Billam-Smith has stayed true to character by looking to become a two-time world champion, revealing that he plans to fight on for another two years.
And seemingly, the fan-friendly bruiser will not be short of options, with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman already expressing his desire to deliver a world title shot against reigning champion Norair Mikaeljan.
Beyond that, though, Billam-Smith could potentially face the winner of Jai Opetaia vs. Ramirez in an undisputed clash at 200 lbs.
“I’d love to fight the other champion [Mikaeljan] and then take on the winner of [Opetaia vs. Ramirez] if it is possible,” he added when speaking with BBC Sport.