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Deontay Wilder: Chris Billam-Smith would move up in weight to target the former world champion | Boxing News
Chris Billam-Smith has plans for cruiserweight title fights, but would move up a division for a clash with huge-punching veteran Deontay Wilder.
Billam-Smith was the WBO world champion at 200lbs but lost his title in a unification clash with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in 2024.
The Bournemouth fighter came back with a strong win over Brandon Glanton last year and, while he has goals at cruiserweight, he acknowledges he could be tempted to move up out of the division.
“I don’t think my style suits heavyweight,” Billam-Smith told the Toe2Toe podcast.
“The only fights I’d move up in weight for, that kind of make sense to me is, one, if Lawrence [Okolie] got his hands on a world title. I’d be the only man who’s beaten him and he’s heavyweight world champion. And Deontay Wilder at bridgerweight.
“I’d love that fight,” Billam-Smith explained. “That would be an interesting one. You look at when I’ve boxed punchers with a big right hand, I’ve done alright.
“I definitely think stylistically that would be really good for me.”
His immediate target though is a WBC cruiserweight title challenge against Noel Mikaelian, who secured that belt when he beat Badou Jack in December.
Light-heavyweight world champion David Benavidez moving up to cruiser and straight into a bout with unified WBA and WBO world champion “Zurdo” Ramirez could complicate Billam-Smith’s plans.
But he will be a keen observer of that all-Mexican clash.
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Trainer Don Charles has backed his former fighter Derek Chisora to beat Deontay Wilder should the pair clash in what Chisora has said will be his last fight.
“We want him to beat ‘Zurdo’ and we want to fight him. That’s my view. That’s the team’s view,” Billam-Smith said.
“He’s a big name, a huge name. He’d have beaten the guy who’s beaten me, if that was the case.”
He added: “I make Zurdo the favourite in the fight, but I’m talking 51-49. I do think he’s got the style to beat Zurdo but Zurdo’s very, very clever. But what a name, what a fight stylistically.
“You’re in the sport for the biggest names and he’s a huge name.
“If I can go to Vegas, even better, because there’s still that dream.”
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Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder next? Sky Sports Boxing’s Andy Scott takes a closer look at the reasons why the potential fight may be happening.
Billam-Smith would like to put himself on a path that ultimately leads to a showdown with Jai Opetaia, the IBF belt-holder who’s widely acknowledged as the best cruiserweight on the planet.
“All the hype around Jai and understanding how the business works I think an ideal route would be probably Benavidez beating Zurdo, me fighting Mikaelian and my next three fights being Mikaelian, Benavidez, Opetaia. Because then that builds it into a massive fight. Also then I go into that fight as the A-side,” the Bournemouth man said.
“In an ideal world I think that would be the route. But that doesn’t always happen in boxing.”
