Chris Billam-Smith, a former WBO cruiserweight titleholder, is keen to see what impression David Benavidez makes at 200lbs.

It is likely that Benavidez will move up from light heavyweight to fight WBO and WBA cruiser titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in May, and it was Billam-Smith from whom Ramirez captured the WBO title.

“I mean the only person who’s going to be annoyed about that [fight] is probably [IBF cruiserweight belt holder Jai] Opetaia,” Billam-Smith said. “I think from a boxing point of view, it’s a fantastic fight. I think with the Mexican heritage in it, it makes it even more exciting. Two very tough men. We know how tough Mexicans are. I know firsthand how tough ‘Zurdo’ is, so I don’t expect anyone to get stopped in that fight, but I do think Benavidez has a very good style to beat Zurdo. I think the way he puts his shots together – not saying that I think he wins; I’d still make Zurdo the favorite – but it’s a very interesting fight.

“I think it’s a very good fight, but if Benavidez does win, me against him – it’d be an unbelievable fight, wouldn’t it? If you look at the styles of me and David Benavidez, that would be phenomenal.”

Billam-Smith fought just once in 2025, defeating American Brandon Glanton, and has been called out by the team of Las Vegas-based Swedish fighter Robin Safar, who seemed set to fight Ramirez early in 2026 (though that fight is no longer happening).

Billam-Smith, 35, admits he has not seen much of Safar, but he remains open to fights that will put him in a strong position for a title opportunity.

A Bournemouth, UK, fighter trained by Shane McGuigan, Billam-Smith is 21-2 (13 KOs) and ranked in the top eight of all major sanctioning bodies’ rankings.

“I’ve seen little bits of [Safar] – obviously he’s a good fighter,” said Billam-Smith. “He’s still unbeaten. I haven’t seen much of him, and once again, if it makes sense and it leads on to something, then we can look at that fight, for sure. It’s not like I’m in the position to go, ‘Right, I want world champions and world champions only,’ but I’m also not far off it.

“Fights have got to lead to that, so I should be one fight away from having a world title shot.”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.