With no agreement yet between Chris Billam-Smith and Roman Fress, the WBO has called for a purse bid for the right to promote the interim cruiserweight title fight.
The WBO ordered its two top-ranked cruiserweights to vie for the secondary belt because Gilberto Ramirez – who has the primary WBO belt as well as the WBA title – will remain on the shelf due to shoulder surgery.
The WBO’s order, issued August 19, gave the camps a deadline of 20 days to make a deal. That deadline passed more than two weeks ago. And so on September 26, the WBO said a purse bid proceeding is scheduled for October 3 in Budapest, Hungary.
The minimum bid is $300,000. The fight must be held between 45 and 90 days after the purse bid. Billam-Smith and Fress are still able to negotiate up until the purse bid, which would be canceled if they reach an agreement.
Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs), is a former WBO cruiserweight titleholder who won that recognition with a majority decision over Lawrence Okolie in May 2023. The 35-year-old from England made two successful defenses against Mateusz Masternak (TKO8) and Richard Riakporhe (UD12) before losing a unanimous decision to Ramirez in a unification bout last November. Billam-Smith returned in April on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn I and won a unanimous decision over Brandon Glanton.
Fress, 23-1 (13 KOs), is a 31-year-old from Germany. That lone loss came in 2022, when he dropped a split decision to the 13-2 Armend Xhoxhaj. Fress is on an eight-fight winning streak, though he’s yet to step up his level of competition. In his most recent appearance in May, Fress took a 10-round decision over the 13-1 Michael Seitz.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
