Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan has now landed in Australia ahead of his eagerly anticipated appearance on I’m A Celebrity, a UK reality TV show.
The 63-year-old will take on a host of challenges throughout his time in the jungle, where he is joined by several campmates for the series’ first episode this Sunday.
Meanwhile, WBO world cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith, who is trained by McGuigan’s son, Shane, is gearing up for a mouthwatering unification against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
The pair will square off in Saudi Arabia later today, with Billam-Smith looking to add the WBA trinket to his collection.
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How will Barry McGuigan know the result of Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith?
Barry McGuigan has always been heavily involved in the career of Billam-Smith, who joined the McGuigans’ camp shortly before his professional boxing debut.
Since then, the Brit has largely exceeded the expectations of fans, claiming his world title in a sizable upset to beat former stablemate Lawrence Okolie last year.
‘The Gentleman’ then made two defenses of his belt, but now hopes to topple fellow champion Ramirez, who comes off an impressive performance over Arsen Goulamirian.
McGuigan, of course, will be eager to know the result of tonight’s dustup, but must decide who to contact for the information.
As soon as I’m A Celebrity kicks off, though, the Hall of Famer will be presented with just one opportunity to make a phone call.
And so, he must decide whether to speak with his wife, Sandra, or get a more in-depth analysis of Ramirez vs Billam-Smith from head coach Shane.
“It might have been my mum that suggested he [should] call me,” Shane McGuigan said on Sky Sports’ Toe2Toe Boxing Podcast. “She was like, ‘why don’t you call Shane just to check in.’
“I was thinking, ‘mum, you haven’t been away from him in god knows how many years.’ [She] can give the result to him.
“Most importantly, that will be the first question he’s going to ask because, when he’s jumping out of that plane [in Australia], [Billam-Smith will] probably be getting his hand lifted [as the] unified world champion.”
Chris Billam-Smith reacts to Gilberto Ramirez weigh-in
There was a noticeable difference between Ramirez and Billam-Smith at yesterday’s weigh-in, with the Mexican looking the more fleshy of the two as they hopped onto the scales.
Zurdo, after all, once campaigned down at 168 lbs, where he made five defenses of his WBO crown.
And so, after highlighting his opponent’s less chiseled physique, Billam-Smith explained that his natural size advantage at 200 lbs will pay dividends.
However, despite the size difference, the majority of boxing fans are nonetheless struggling to separate the two seasoned operators ahead of their clash.