Chris Billam-Smith developed an amazing habit of turning dreams into reality.
When he turned professional, he was not touted as a future champion. But he managed to win the Commonwealth, British and European titles.
Last year at the Vitality Stadium in his hometown of Bournemouth, he knocked out Lawrence Okolie to win the WBO cruiserweight world championship.
On Saturday, he defeated the only man who had previously beaten him as a pro, defeating power inventor Richard Riakporhe at Selhurst Park in south London to defend his world title.
“The child in me who loves football very much – I asked for a box in two Premier League football stadiums, it was wild. It exceeded my wildest dreams at one point and now I have managed to do both, it’s just crazy,” he toward Sky Sports.
But he wasn’t done with his dream. He believes that he can now beat his rival world champion.
“(Jai) Opetaia is a good fighter, all good fighters. (Gilberto) ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez is probably the most underrated champion I’ve ever seen. What he did with (Arsen) Goulamirian was really good. (He’s) really a southpaw who strong, durable, can counter punches, got quick hands, very good fighter,” he said.
But what is expected next – the unification of the world championship title. “It’s mad. That’s what we’re looking at now. We’re not interested in others, really, other than other champions,” Bilam-Smith continued.
Riakporhe are a dangerous challenger, but Billam-Smith answered his doubts with his performance on Saturday night.
“They don’t see everything else. They see the fight (Mateusz) Masternak. They see the fight (Armend) Xhoxhaj and I cut and fight Isaac (Chamberlain) and they don’t see the ins and outs of the gym. And I can turn it on if necessary,” he said.
“Xhoxhaj was not a good performance, so everyone supported Lawrence. Masternak was not a good performance, so everyone supported Richard, but mentally I was able to turn it on.
“The Masternak fight was tough, everything around you, who was so high (against Okolie) in that fight, going to a smaller venue, everyone expects you to win.
“No one cares about the fight, everyone wants to see me and Richard. All the talk is about Richard. And the same with the Xhoxhaj fight, everyone is talking about the next one. No one has heard of him before. We are only human. , you can kill , but big fights I can show up every time.”
Despite the humble beginnings of his pro career, Billam-Smith can now dare to dream of going undisputed at cruiserweight.
If he continues to win, he could land his biggest fight yet, if undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk decides to return to his former division.
Usyk has said he would consider returning to the division he previously joined.
“If he goes back down, it’s wild. I said to Shane (McGuigan, trainer) when I first joined the gym, we talked about Usyk, (he said) he’s a special fighter. I’m going: ‘You’re going. to train me to beat him .’ I said that to him (in) 2017. I think it’s just his debut,” Billam-Smith laughed.
“He is a special fighter, it will be an honor to share the ring with him like ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, as Opetaia will do. I love my career.
“I’m not saying it’s an easy fight by any stretch of the imagination.
“What a special fighter. To share the ring with someone like him would be phenomenal. And as fighters we believe in every fight we can win.”